Be Careful What You Wish For
by Aspiring Artist14
Summary: Tough-guy Raphael shows his soft side when he rescues a teenage girl and returns her safely home. Although he knows seeing her again is next to impossible, he still wishes for a way. Raph should have been careful what he wished for, because now her life and his family will never be the same. Raph/Mona, Don/April..? Mike/OC: 2012 Universe, 3 years in the future (the Turtles are 18)
1. Chapter 1

**Now improved and re-written!**

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**The Girl**

BAM. The once intact metal vent now had a large dent in it. Raphael glowered at black nothingness in the dark New York night, shaking with rage. He took off, moving at top speed from rooftop to rooftop, finding pleasure in the pain of his burning muscles. Slowly, Raph would calm down, only to hear Leo's condescending voice and see Donnie's smug smile in his mind; again his rage would overcome him, white-hot and powerful. Wanting so badly to yell his anger to the world, Raph knew he couldn't risk the chance of attracting attention to himself. A ninja's greatest weapon is his stealth and secrecy, and being out at night, alone and with Kraang around every corner, Raph needed both.  
A woman's scream tore Raph from his thoughts and sent him into ninja-mode. In the alley below, a young woman was surrounded by three teenage guys, not unlike Raph. The first coaxed to the girl in front of him.

"Com'ere Mone, you don't want to cause any more trouble for yourself." The teasing tone of his voice was enough to make Raph want to run him through with his sai. _This guy's just makin' my night. _But wait- he had called the girl by name. He knew her. So why was he acting this way? Noiselessly, Raph settled himself within striking distance.

"Better listen up sweetheart" warned the boy to the left, "just let us have our fun, or we'll use that pretty little body of yours for somethin' else. Like target practice." he laughed at his own sick joke, and the others joined in.

"Who do you think you are Garrett? Bringing your disgusting friends and trapping me just t-to… to have your way with me?" Raph's heart sped up at the sound of the terrified girl's voice.

"Oh honey, don't you worry. Gare here still loves ya, don'tcha Gare?" The two boys flanking Garrett snickered.

"Love the way you look- that's for sure." Garrett grinned and advanced quickly on the girl, trapping her against the wall with his body. He reached to touch her face, which the girl had turned away from him and hid behind her long hair.

_Not happening._

Raphael was furious that these boys would even_ think_ about harming this girl. He let his hatred for them fuel his attack.

Crowching low, he extended his arms out from his body and took out the lackeys' feet, sending them both to the ground. The boys hit the alley hard enough for Raph to hear their skulls crack against the pavement. Raphael didn't have to look back; he knew from the echo of heavy footsteps that the idoits were running for their lives.

_Best decision you've made all night, fellas._

_Now, ladies and gentlemen, the main attraction. _Grabbing Garrett by the neck, Raph lifted the taller adolescent male high off the ground.

"You don't touch her." Raph snarled in the boy's face, loving how he cringed in fear at Raphael's tone. Bringing his sai to the gasping boy's neck, Raph growled out a final warning.

"Leave. Don't you ever look at her again. And don't you ever do what you almost did to her to any other girl, or I won't hesitate to use _these_." He let the scum hit the ground, hard, and watched as the disgusting 18 year old high-tailed it out of the alley.

Still sickened by the boys' actions, Raph didn't think to hide himself until he turned to see the girl watching him in wonder. Terrified, Raph jumped for the fire escape, pulling himself into the shadows.

Splinter's rules: never let yourself be seen.

But he couldn't leave her here.

Raphael watched as the girl let out a long breath and collapsed to the ground, bringing her knees to her chest and letting silent sobs wrack her entire body.

Now he _defiantly_ couldn't leave her.

Dropping back to the ground, but still keeping to the shadows, he finally got a good look at the girl. She looked to be the same age as her attackers; the same age as Raph. Her small shoulders were covered by long chestnut hair as she sobbed into her arms, which hugged her knees tightly. As she lifted her head to wipe away the tears, Raphael saw large doe eyes, a small softly rounded nose, and thin lips. He mentally slapped himself. _Why the shell was he noticing her?_

_Uh, maybe 'cause she's gorgeous?_

Great. He had saved, ran from, and was now creepily watching probably the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Definitely a self-confidence booster. Nonetheless, he needed to make sure she was okay. She could be attacked again if he left her out here, alone on the streets at this hour.

_Here goes nothin'._

Raph slowly approached her. Hearing his footsteps, she immediately looked up. She made eye contact with Raphael, and he could see her relax. Not the reaction Raphael normally recieved, but he wasn't complaining. _This is a _good_ sign. _Feeling a bit more confident, he risked a question.

"You gonna be alright?"

She let out a shaky breath. "Yeah. Than-thanks to you."

Raph only nodded. _Ugh, where's the hero in blue when you need him. _Raph wouldn't kid himself- he wasn't any good at the consoling stuff. He wasn't personable like Leo or curious like Donnie, and he definitely wasn't perceptive as Mikey. But he wanted her to feel better, and seeing as there was no one else around to do that...

Carefully, he leaned against the wall next to her and let himself down so he sat next to her.

"You're a turtle." _Yeah. How'd I know _that_ was comin'._

"Sorry-"she apologized, "I don't mean to be so blunt. I'm kind of in shock right now and when I am I just blurt out whatever comes to me. No filter and all that. I don't wanna be offensive, it's just, well... Not everyday this sort of thing happens to a girl, ya know?" Raph smirked despite himself. Her voice was surprisingly even, considering she still had small tears running down her face. She didn't seem to be paying any attention to what she was saying; she was rambling like a crazy person and Raphael found it hilarious.

"I wouldn't know, bein' a guy and all. But I can imagine this is kinda a big deal for you. I mean, I'm a talkin' turtle. But you're lucky; I'm not known to hang around and hold conversation."

"So why are you here now?"

_Nuts._

"Well... Those guys were way outta line. It's dark, and late, and New York. I couldn't leave you out here…" _Smooth, Romeo. Change the subject, quick. _"Who were they, anyway?"

Her eyes welled up again, threatening more tears. _Way to go Raph. Get her cryin' again, that's what she needs._

"The tall blonde was my boyfriend, er... ex-boyfriend now, I guess." She let out a flat, humorless laugh at the thought. "And the other two were his friends, Ty and Lex."

Raph's mind was reeling. _That scum was her boyfriend, and he did __**that**__ to her?_

Anger creeped into Raph's voice. "I'm real sorry he threatened you like that. Like I said, he was way outta line. But he's gone, and you're safe, so forget him."

"I know. You're here. I'm safe."

She looked up into Raph's eyes. _Woah. Hold up._

Not only were her eyes big, but their color was unexplainable: a mix of gold and green and warm chocolate brown. _Don't stare, doofus._

Looking away, he asked, "D'you live near here?"

She nodded, pointing east. "Three blocks that way. Corner of Eastman and Wesley."

Raph wasn't sure her giving up this information so easily was due to the shock of the attack, or if she felt comfortable around him. He hoped against hope it was the latter.

Without a word, Raph scooped her up and took to the rooftops. Her surprise was easy to see, but she tucked her face into his plastron and let him take her home.

Reaching the edge of the first building, Raph thought it would be a good idea to warn her before he took off.

"I'm gonna jump, but don't be afraid, I ain't gonna drop you or nothin'." The girl nodded her consent.

Clearing the next couple buildings with ease, he came to the top of the building she had described.

He felt her relaxing, slowly drifting in and out of conciousness in his arms.

Whispering softly, he asked, "Where from here?" She was on her way to an exhaused sleep, but still managed to reply.

"North side. 3rd terrace up."

Scaling the fire escapes and finally landing on the right one, he found he wasn't ready to let her go.  
She mumbled, "Under the plant."

Still holding her to his plastron, he found the key where she said it would be and slowly unlocked the door.

"Only you home?" He had to ask; he didn't need anyone else seeing him tonight.

"Just me..." _She's about to konk out here, Raph._ He found his way to what he assumed to be her room, and laid her down gently on her bed. She was asleep. In seconds, he was gone. Out the door, across the night skyline, under the manhole and back to the sewers he called home.

Was it bad to wish he would see her again?

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**My first ever story and chapter! Thanks to those who made it this far, please, if you can, review! Feedback is wonderful! **

**If you enjoyed this, I already have about 8 more chapters on my mind, all they need is to be fleshed out. I'm hoping to upload in the next couple of days. Feedback if you would like more is great!**

**Note: Leo is, and always will be, my favorite brother. But, the Mona/Raph story makes me so happy that I needed to put it into the new Universe and give her a new look/personality (to me, it seems like people think of her as a manipulative slut, but I don't see her this way). Lucky you, Raph!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! I would like to thank you all for the feedback, favorites, and follows. Each one makes me feel so great, I'm glad you're all liking the story!  
Sorry about the small gap between uploads, school work is useless but if I wish to pass I have to do it sometime.  
I made some updates to the first chapter, mostly proofreading (I'm still a bit self-conscious and want everything to be perfect)  
Anyway, enjoy chapter two!**

******Updates coming in quick! Added a part of one of my favorite Collective Soul songs! Music is a big deal here, folks. **

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**Memories**

Mona Lisa flipped over on her side, mentally willing the chill in her room to go away. It was making her shiver. Twisting again, her half-asleep brain realized she was lying on top of her duvet.

_No wonder I'm cold. _

Why in God's name hadn't she gotten under the covers? Her brain was fuzzy... Remembering things was more difficult than it should have been. She couldn't open her eyes; they felt raw and itchy. Her shoulders and back ached as she moved in her bed.

_What _happened _to me?_

Finally prying her eyes open, she glanced over at her alarm clock. A bright blue _3:40_ glowed back at her in the darkness. Thank goodness. She could catch a few more hours of sleep until she would have to work on her unfinished experiments. Allowing herself to lull back into relaxation, she half-heard the afternoon garbage truck that picked up outside her apartment on Fridays. Sitting straight up, she desperately tried to ignore the splitting headache pulsing behind her eyes. She looked at the clock more closely; it was 3:40 p.m., not a.m.

Impossible. She couldn't have slept in this late. Panic rose in her chest, her heart contracting with the sudden shortness of her breath. No. She couldn't have a panic attack until she knew what was going on.

_Alright Mona, whatever happened last night seriously messed you up. Now calm down, and think. _

Easier said than done… this headache topped her list of Most Painful Injuries Ever, making her memories blurry and difficult to decipher. Maybe starting slowly would help the memories to return. _My name is Mona Lisa Lazar. I am 17 years old and this is the year 2013. Today is Saturday, May twelf- Aw hell! _Mona remembered suddenly, _Garrett and I were supposed to meet at his place at 2 this afternoon! _

Wait… _Garrett_. His name brought back the details of her terrifying night all at once.

It was a normal Friday night. Mona and Garrett were on their way home from grabbing a quick bite to eat when they met up with Garrett's friends, Lexington and Tyler. She had never been quite comfortable around Lex or Ty, choosing to keep quiet and to herself when either of them were around. They never bothered her, but still gave her a strange feeling. Last night they were acting particularly rowdy. Already wary enough (she knew better than to let her guard down while walking the streets of New York at midnight), these boys were making her even more nervous. All of her senses were engaged, ready to defend herself.

_Not ready enough, apparently._

Ty had leaned over to Garrett, whispering something in his ear. Mona had tried to ignore them as they continued to shun her. The next thing she knew, Garrett grabbed her by the arm, swung, and dumped her on the ground of a deep alley. Her tailbone throbbed at the thought of her not-so-graceful landing. Ty and Lex just laughed as she helplessly scrabbled backwards, further into the alley. She didn't know what kept her legs going- but she remembered the shock, anger, and confusion that she had felt at that moment. Standing up, Mona knew she shouldn't let herself be backed further into the alley. Seeing an opening between Garrett and Tyler, she lunged, attempting to escape from her assailants. The boys just grabbed her again and pushed her back down to the ground, never missing a step. Pure terror had replaced the anger and confusion inside of her, and her body was shaking with adrenaline. She felt the cold brick wall make contact with her back. She was alone and trapped.

Garrett was the first to speak. She remembered his menacing tone ordering her to quietly comply with what they wanted. Only then would they leave. She had already guessed, but she asked anyway. "W-what do you want from me?"

Laughing to himself, Garrett invited Lex to demonstrate what they wanted.

Tears ran down Mona's face as she remembered Lex's hands on her hips and up her shirt, violating her privacy.

That's when she let out the scream.

Lex clamped a big, sweaty hand over her mouth to silence her, but Mona bit back. Literally. Gasping with pain, Lex stepped back to join the other boys. They had taunted her a little while longer until Garrett stepped up, trapping her against the wall, reaching for her.

Mona brought herself back into the present. She couldn't remember what Garrett had done to her. _Think, Leese. _Realization dawned on her. _Maybe he didn't have a chance to attack me. _Yes- that was it. She remembered a muscular male figure. Red headband. Weapons that looked like… _forks_? _Green skin_? And maybe even… a shell? Okay, this headache had to be affecting her memories. Maybe she had a concussion?

But those green eyes. Even in the darkness, she knew she had seen a pair of emerald eyes look into hers. She knew he had saved her. She remembered the look of terror on his face when he saw her look at him, and how he had come back to check on her when she started to cry. _Crap, Mona. You _cried_ in front of him?! You know how ugly you look when you cry! _

Seriously? She was worried about her appearance? This guy had just saved her from being raped by her ex-boyfriend and his friends! And she wasn't even sure he was human.

_So what, he was cute. _

She remembered talking with her strange hero. _Oh God, Mona, _she rubbed her temples in disbelief, _you couldn't have made a bigger fool of yourself if you tried. _He didn't say much. Honestly, from what she could remember, he had always sounded a bit peeved. Well, except for when he had taken her in his arms. Uh huh, she remembered that part quite clearly. He held her, bridal-style, and moved across the rooftops without a sound. What sort of guy could carry a girl across rooftops? He was unbelievably strong; every muscle in his body well-defined and rock-solid. She could remember tucking her face into his body, letting the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and footsteps relax her body and ease her nerves. That's when the memories became a bit fuzzy. Exhausted from the night, she must have fallen asleep in his arms. Like a true gentleman, he brought her all the way home and left her to sleep.

This _complete stranger_ had saved her and taken her home, but Mona couldn't remember a time when she felt more comfortable and secure. She didn't even know his name.

Finally dragging herself out of bed, Mona headed for her bathroom. She needed a hot shower, fresh clothes, and something good to eat. She turned on the shower head and took time as the water heated up to inspect her injuries in the mirror. Surprisingly, all she could find was a bruised tailbone and various scratches on her hands and arms. Stepping into the shower, she let the scalding hot water wash away her aches and pains. She considered her situation and felt pretty damn proud she wasn't a total basket case.

A weird sense of calm fell over her under the hot water and Mona's voice soon found a familiar tune. Wanting more than anything to forget the events of the previous night, she allowed the song to take over.

_"Give me a word, give me a sign_

_Show me where to look - tell me what will I find? _

_What will I find?_

_Lay me on the ground and fly me in the sky_

_Show me where to look - tell me what will I find?_

_What will I find?_

_Oh, heaven letcha light shine down..."_

After running through the song enough times to satisfy the pent-up emotion she was felling, Mona let herself come back down to Earth and allowed her mind to roam freely.

Funny enough, Mona realized she wasn't heartbroken over Garrett. It was kind of hard to feel anything but relief about a relationship that ended in total betrayal and attempted rape. It was much easier to feel anger and hatred, and she let those emotions and the water wash over her as she remembered how hard she had fallen for Garrett, back when she was 12.

...

Naïve and a bit chubby, Mona was playing outside with her friend Kristy when Garrett; handsome, tall, blonde, athletic, 13-year old Garrett, had walked by with his dog Kiko. The dog made a beeline for Mona, sniffing and licking and wiggling her whole body with happiness. Mona giggled and crouched down to pet the sweet dog, laughing harder when she kissed Mona full in the face. Looking up, she saw Garrett's amused smile.

"I think she likes you."

Mona was in love. For four years she kept her crush a secret, writing his name in her notebooks and daydreaming of his quirky smile. Throughout these years, she kept hope that he would one day talk to her. She shed her baby fat. He didn't notice her. Her braces came off. He didn't notice her.  
Her hair grew out, her style improved; she became the captain of her basketball, crew, and lacrosse teams.

He still didn't notice her.

The summer going into junior year of high school, she gave up on Garrett. She met other guys, dated some, and broke up with them. It wasn't until the end of that summer that Garrett Ciccone finally talked to her. Sure, he was drunk, and sure, he wasn't the Prince Charming she dreamed he would be, but she still had a massive crush on him. They became a couple two weeks later.

...

So yeah, Mona expected heartbreak. But that familiar pain in her chest just wouldn't come. She tried to remember all of the kisses, all of the tender moments that they shared. She felt his arms around her, his soft skin against hers, his three-fingered hands holding her secure against his rock-solid middle.

_Back up. Three-fingered hands?_

She was thinking of her red-masked hero again. Attempting to reminisce about intimate moments with her ex-boyfriend, all that came to her mind were the small touches she had received from the strange boy she owed her life to.

_So this is the level I've sunk to. Daydreaming of the mysterious turtle-man who carried me home. _

She had to be losing it.

Stepping out of the shower, she toweled off and tried to find a clean sweatshirt and her favorite pair of lazy-day boxer shorts. Her long waves were a mess, and she was not about to deal with them. As she braided, she walked into the kitchen, hoping her father had remembered to stock the pantry and fridge with essentials. Just because he felt the need to go on month-long business trips to the other side of the world didn't mean she was going to starve. Even though it was now past four in the afternoon, she was craving breakfast. A bagel, bowl of oatmeal, and lots of coffee was what she needed. As she prepared her meal, her thoughts slipped back to the mysterious masked man of the night. Catching the eye of her pet ferret, Nettles, she spoke aloud to him. Talking to him was easier than talking to herself, anyway.

"But he really wasn't a man, was he Nettles?"  
Nettles blinked back at her, urging her to explain her theory further.

"The shell, green skin, plastron, three fingers… these are all characteristics of _Testudines, _not _Homo sapiens._ What I'm saying, Nettles, is that a human-sized turtle saved me last night." Mona contemplated this idea. What she was suggesting wasn't far from what her AP Biology teacher had assigned them to experiment with. From her research and the information Mr. Roberts had provided them with, she knew that a certain substance -a mutagen- could combine the DNA of different species.

"What do you think bud, was a human-turtle mutant my guardian angel last night?"  
Nettles ran through his tunnel over and over again, plainly showing his excitement of the idea.

Mona didn't know how to feel about this. Setting her dirty dishes in the sink, she opened the locked door and walked out onto the terrace her hero had brought her to the night before. Checking under the plant, she found the key right back in its hiding place. She leaned against the railing, looking out at the sprouting plants and trees of springtime. May had turned the city green.

_Green._

Green eyes, compassionate and questioning, gazing into hers.

Would she ever see them again?

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**So, how'd ya like your first taste of 2k12 Mona? I tried to keep the scientist side to her the same, and added in Nettles to give her some similarities to Raph and his relationship with Spike.  
Sorry to end each chapter in such a cliché cliffhanger, but I wanted the similarities between them to show similarities between Raph and Mona's thought process.  
Review! Tell me what you think! I love hearing from you guys! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! So sorry about the gaps between uploading. I've been so busy. Again, HUGE thank you to everyone who has favorited/liked/reviewed BCWYWF, they mean the world to me!**

**Chapter 3, anyone? It goes right with Chapter four, which is why I will be uploading them at the same time.**

**I'm getting so into this story. And it hasn't scarcely begun! So, enjoy!**

******Small updates. No biggie. Mostly trying to imply that Donnie/April are on the edge of a relationship, but not there yet. You'll see why later. **

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**Mistake**

Raph watched as his brothers pulled themselves up and away from the small landing outside of April's window. Well, two of them anyway.

Where was Donnie? _He knows I like to be the one watchin' our backs, 'specially on nights like this_. Something just didn't feel right. Raph could tell our Leo felt it; he had been anxious to get home and let April lock up.

Raph turned to find Donatello. _The shell are you waitin' for, Brainiac?_ Suddenly, something hit the back of Raph's head. Snarling, he turned and whipped out his sai, but his threat was met by Mikey's stupid grin; clearly the younger turtle was happy about provoking his hot-headed brother. Mikey knew Raph would want to pound him, so he just wagged his finger in front of his brother's face, saying, "Nuh uh Raphie-boy, now isn't the time for your anger issues. We're goin home, and Donnie asked to stay behind for some alooone time with his giiiirlfriend." Mikey drew out the vowels in his words, teasing their love-sick brother.

Poor Donnie just couldn't get his mind together whenever he was around the boys' best friend April. He was putty in her hands, stumbling over his usually intelligent words and turning so red he could stop traffic in Times Square. But that was nothing new. Donnie had been that way around the redhead since they met three years ago. And as hilarious as Raph found his brother's embarrassment, he still felt for his purple-banded brother. Raph knew if he met the girl from the alley again that he too would be tongue-tied.

Although, Raph had to admit, Donnie had been scoring some major points and alone time with April in the past couple months. Maybe the love gods decided to cut his brother some slack.

"Fine. But he better not try anything funny. Get goin' Mikey, I'll watch back."

As Mikey leapt away a second time, Raph let out an inaudible groan. His thoughts had slipped to the mystery girl _again_._ Even worse; I compared us to April n' Donnie. What the shell is wrong with me?_

It had been weeks since Raph defeated the sickos that attacked her, but since then he had caught his thoughts drifting to her far too many times than necessary. It's not like he had anyone to talk to about her. He couldn't bring himself to confide in his brothers or Splinter, instead telling them that he merely ran off his anger that night. But keeping her a secret was really getting to him, making it more and more difficult to keep his focus during training.

Raph had never been as obsessively focused as Leo, but definitely more so than either Donnie or Mikey. But lately he was so distracted that his younger brothers were besting him during sparring practice, and Leo was flat out destroying him.

Lucky for Raph, they had only come across minor crimes and some Purple Dragon thugs since that fateful night; if the Kraang showed up, Raph wasn't sure he would be worth much in the fight. Although Leo, Donnie, and Splinter were concerned about the alien robots' long absence, Raph saw it as a blessing. He needed to get his composure back before facing them.

He knew it wasn't going to be long until his brothers figured him out, and he had a feeling Splinter sensed something other than ninjutsu was on his son's mind. Even now he was falling behind his brothers; Mikey was already two buildings ahead of him. Speeding up, he managed to overtake Mikey, forgetting his desire to be in the back of the pack.

As if on cue, Mikey ran beside Raphael began to tease him.

"Hey there hot-stuff, thought you'd never catch up to us."

"Shut up, Mike."

"You're so distracted, bro. And not just right now- it's like all the time. I pay more attention than you do during training!" Mikey laughed at the thought of his brother being more of an air-head than he was.

"Mikey, I said SHUT UP. I don't need this right now." Raph tried to break away from the formation Mikey had created, attempting to fall behind them. _I'm not talking about this right now. _

"Then when do you need it, Raph? Because obviously you're holding something back." Leonardo mused from Raph's right.

_What I need is to turn my brain off for a while. _

_"Turn my brain off". Heh, I sound like Donnie. _

Thankfully, Leo and Mikey took Raph's silence as denial, and didn't question him further. The three brothers reached their manhole, or the "homehole" as Mikey had dubbed it, since it was the one they frequently used to go topside from the lair.

Because Raph was the last one to drop down into the sewers, it was his job to put the cover back in its place. He didn't realize Mikey had moved it slightly to the right prior to Raph's jump. He made it halfway through before his elbow connected with the side of the cover, jerking his upper body to the left so his head hit the other side of the hole.

The noise Raph's body made when it connected with the metal alerted Mikey that his prank was a success. He doubled over in laughter, safe on the floor of the sewer tunnel. Raph had instinctively grabbed onto one of the rungs of the unused ladder leading down from the hole, keeping himself from crashing to the sewer floor. Trying to stop the pounding of his head and arm, Mikey's delighted snicker reached him through the pain; immediately his thoughts were consumed with a rage that surprised them all.

As he attacked his younger brother, Raph let all of his worry, insecurity, and stress of the past three weeks out through his fists. He mercilessly beat Michelangelo, ignoring the jokester's pleas of "Uncle! Uncle!" and Leo's frantic commands to stop. Raph couldn't think. He didn't feel Mikey's body go slack, or hear Leonardo's distraught screams, or think to take a breath when Leo threw him off of their younger brother into the sewage stream in the middle of the tunnel. The cold water brought him back to his senses. As he lifted himself from the murky water, gasping for air, he saw the tape on his hands was bloodied. A cold chill washed over him, along with the understanding of what he had done.

_Wha… Mikey, what did I…_

Leo was close to tears, kneeling over an unconscious Mikey. Now it was his turn to shake with anger. But, unlike Raph, Leo did not attack. He didn't even raise his voice.

_I wish he would. I deserve it. _

Leo fixed his icy, emotionless blue eyes on Raph's wide, apologetic green ones.

"He plays pranks, Raphael. He doesn't intend to harm. But you? You attack. And always intend to harm." he hissed at Raphael, "We could all tell. It's been obvious that you have a lot on your mind that you aren't sharing with us. Actually, Mikey was the first to notice. We gave you space, allowing you to stay out on your own after patrol when you asked, because we hoped you would figure things out." Leonardo took a deep breath, collecting himself for his final judgment, turning his eyes to the floor. "But it is apparent now that you haven't sorted it out. You just took your emotions out on your own brother, Raphael. This is something I never could have imagined happening." With that last sentence, Leo broke.

His eyes snapped up to meet Raph's again, this time the dark blue irises spilled over with tears and raw emotion. And now, he roared.

"Get out of my sight, _Ishigame_!"

Shocked, Raph hoisted himself up and ran as fast as he could. He allowed himself to become lost within the labyrinth of the New York City sewers, ignoring the hot tears falling from his eyes, soaking his mask. Everything his brother said was true. Finding a familiar chamber of the sewer, Raph let himself fall to the ground, shuddering with shame. The image of his wounded youngest brother was swimming in his mind. No one ever harmed Mikey while Raph was around; he was extremely overprotective of his carefree little brother. But, like Leo said, in his emotional outburst it was Raphael who injured Michelangelo. Normally Raph would be furious that Leo dared to throw him into the sewage, or talk to him in such a way. But he deserved every bit of it.

_I won't ever forgive myself for this._

It was scary how much Leonardo had sounded like their father. For some reason, this thought filled him with sadness. Leo, like their father, was always right. Mikey was the most empathetic of the four, he always noticed and worried when one of his brothers seemed troubled. Mikey had probably gone to Donnie and Leo with his concern, and the leader in blue made the decision to let Raph come to terms with his problems by himself.

_Another one of your failed plans, Chief. _

But Raphael knew it wasn't Leo that had failed them, it was his own failure. Raph had more often than not stayed out after patrol, alone, looking for the girl. This just drove him farther from his family, deeper into his own thoughts. Instead of dealing in a healthy way, he let himself become obsessed with her, and the chance of finding her. Raph had finally boiled over, and Mikey was there to receive the consequences.

_I can't keep doin' this. I _really _gotta forget 'bout her. _

Collecting himself and preparing to go home, Raphael planned on begging for forgiveness. But all thoughts of home escaped him when Raphael heard a noise. Stilling himself, he listened harder. The noise was a crash. And the crash turned into a scream, then a splash, and finally deep sobs. Raphael couldn't believe it.

_I know that voice._

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**So, Chapter 3? Review! And here comes Chapter 4!**

**_Note: Ishigame is the Japanese word for "turtle". The brothers don't dare to call each other by this name, to them it is a reminder of how primitive and weak they would be if not for the mutation that changed their lives._**


	4. Chapter 4

**Is Chapter 3 still fresh in your mind? Good! Cause here comes Chapter 4!**

**(Dunno why I felt the need to split them up. I guess just because if I didn't it would be one long-ass chapter.)**

**Review! Favorite! Follow! I love to hear from you guys!**

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**Found**

_What's she doin' in the sewers?_

Raph let his mind explore the possibilities: Maybe she had found out about his home, and was looking for him. Maybe the goons were chasing her and she had nowhere else to go. Maybe she hung out down here for fun? Raph shook his head in disbelief at the last notion his mind had conjured up. _That's such a Mikey thing to think. _

After weeks of hoping for an opportunity such as this, she was right around the corner. And she was crying, so that meant Raph could play the good guy and win her over. But Raph couldn't move. His nerves, fear of rejection, and relief of finding her rooted him to the spot.

_Man, I got it bad. But now's not the time to pull a Donnie. I just gotta go talk to her._

Peeking around the corner, Raph immediately tensed. What he saw wasn't the human girl that occupied his dreams and every thought. It was:

_A thick forest green tail_

_Leading to_

_A feminine body in a slightly lighter shade of green_

_A pink hoodie_

_Feet like his, only four-toed and webbed._

But he still knew it was her. Her long chestnut waves gave her away. And all he could think of as he looked at her, like any adolescent boy, was:

_Did she get hotter?_

Lost in his own imagination, Raphael didn't notice his feet making noise as he subconsciously stepped toward her until he saw her tense. He kept completely silent until she relaxed, continuing to cry.

_Make your move, Raph. Now._

Stepping out from around the corner, Raph stealthily made his way to her. Not thinking of scaring her, he put his hand on her shoulder, "Are you o-"

She let out a scream, expertly placing a kick to his plastron, sending him backwards a few feet. As Raph kneeled to recover his breath, he looked up to see the girl looking at him in worry and shock.

He imagined his face wearing a matching look of shock, because he couldn't believe what he saw.

The face of the girl he had saved was looking back at him, nothing changed but the color of her skin, which was now the same light green color as her body. Well, other than her nose, which was now just a soft bump without nostrils. Raph also couldn't help but notice that where her plastron should be (if she was a turtle), was a soft yellow color. Though most of it was covered by her pink zip-up hoodie. Man, he needed to get a grip.

_Her eyes haven't changed, either._

Raph guessed that seeing him kneeled in front of her must have embarrassed her, because her green face suddenly turned bright red as she reached to help him up.

"I am so. Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you! You just really scared me there…" Her voice started out loud and confident, but slowly she became quieter and quieter as she helped Raph to his feet. When he was finally standing to full height, he was happy to see that he had a good four inches on the girl. He must have smiled visibly, because the girl's tone suddenly turned suspicious. "What's so funny, huh?"

_Why do I make a fool of myself every time I'm around this girl?_

"Oh-uh, um. Nothing. Sorry. Uh, nice kick. Usually people don't get a good one in on me." _Stupid, stupid, stupid. What am I saying?_

Raising an eyebrow, she said slowly, "Uh huh. I must have caught you off guard."

_Lady, you have no idea. _

He really didn't want to ask, but then again he really wanted to know. But before he could speak, the girl's eyes went wide and she turned away, her long tail curling in around her. She must have put her face in her hands, because Raph could barely make out what she was saying. Even though her voice was muffled, he heard her say, "I can't believe I forgot. I'm sorry you had to see me. I'm a monster."

Those words almost broke his heart. Not that he would show it. But this beautiful girl thought she was a monster. Obviously she didn't look the same, but different wasn't bad on her. Honestly, Raph thought she looked great. Really great.

_Hey shell-for-brains. She's a human, turned mutant. You've always been a mutant. She ain't gonna see this situation in the same light you are. _

But still. The last thing he wanted was he thinking she was some freak. He felt anger, sadness, and sympathy for the girl. He was gonna make her feel better.

_Tell her how beautiful she is? _

Thankfully, for once Raphael didn't listen to himself. Letting his anger toward whoever did this to the girl fill him, he felt confident and determined. He walked straight up behind her, softly turned her by the shoulders so she faced him. He heard her gasp, but still she wouldn't move her hands from her face. Taking her small wrists in his hands, he guided them down to her sides. When she still wouldn't look at him, he let out a frustrated huff of breath.

"Shell girl, just look at me."

Her large eyes looked up into his, her head unmoving.

"Don't be ashamed to look at me. I know who ya are, and that's because ya look no different. You're still you. And ya not a monster. If ya are, then what the shell am I?" She laughed a bit at his last question, which made Raph feel much better, and even grin a bit. His confidence didn't last long though, because as soon as he realized how close they were, and how he was holding her arms, he could feel the blush attack his face. Dropping her hands and muttering a quick "sorry", he took a couple steps back.

Now she was really laughing. _Aw, shell. _"Geez Red, one moment you're consoling me and the next you're running away with your tail between your legs." She smirked at him, crossing her arms in front of herself when she realized she was right.

Scowling, Raph said sarcastically, "No need to thank me." _Never again will I let the tough-guy guard down. And "Red"? Seriously?_

Still chuckling at his discomfort, the girl didn't notice the large reptilian form emerging from the pool behind her. Suddenly, Raph realized where they were. _This is Leatherhead's station. _

Knowing he wouldn't be able to warn her of the impending attack, Raph scooped her up and out of the way of Leatherhead's massive tail as it crushed the concrete where moments ago the girl had been standing. But the force of his tail was too much, and Raph lost his footing, sending the girl and himself in different directions.

Stunned, but not about to let Leatherhead harm the girl, Raphael jumped up to calm his enraged friend down. Using Mikey's method of rubbing the big guy's snout, Raph quickly calmed him down. But immediately he fired up at the mutant croc. "Why didja attack?! I swear, Leatherhead, I have a right mind to pound ya into the sewage right now."

"I am so sorry, my friend. I did not mean any harm. I did not recognize your female companion, and so I fell into my anger. Please forgive my foolishness. Is she alright?"

Raph was too angry to check on her, but now his full attention was back on the girl. _Was she alright?_

She was curled on her side, clutching her wrist, her face screwed up in pain. Rushing over to her, Raph apologized, "Oh shell. I-I'm sorry, I ca-can't believe… All my fault…" She just shook her head. Raph was beside himself. He let her get hurt. _He didn't keep her safe._

Before he let himself go completely insane, Raph took a deep breath and tried to think like Leo. She needed to see Donnie. He could fix her wrist. _An' maybe explain what happened t' her. _For the second time that night, Raph took her in his arms. He would take her back to the lair. Her eyes snapped open, looking into his with wild fear.

"Shhh. Don' be afraid g- …uh actually. I dunno know your name. An' I don' really wanna keep callin' ya 'girl'. So…?" _I dunno know how else to ask._

The fear gone from her eyes, all Raph could see in the breathtaking green/gold hazel irises was trust and understanding.

"It's Mona", she whispered, "My name is Mona Lisa."

"Well, Mona Lisa, m' name ain't Red. It's Raphael. And ya," He held his breath as he hopped the turnstiles leading to the lair, "are 'bout to meet my family."

_So much for forgetting 'bout her._

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**Ooooh, what will his brothers and Sensi think when Raphie brings home a pretty female mutant? The suspense is killing me!**

**(Kidding, I know exactly what their reactions will be. Hehe)**

**Thanks for reading so far! Hope you're enjoying!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Back with Chapter 5! I hope to be uploading everyday for a bit, since it's Spring Break and I have some time to write now. **

**I have forgotten to add a disclaimer in my earlier chapters, I'm sorry, so here it is, so I don't get sued: **

**I don't own anything TMNT related. **

**Again, thanks for all of the awesome reviews, favorites, follows! You guys are the best!**

*****Updates**

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**Introductions**

Mona Lisa was furious with herself. Since when had she become so weak? Again, Raphael (_Finally, a name to put with the face of her now-frequent protector)_ was carrying her out of whatever mess she had gotten herself into. Mona wasn't the helpless girl that couldn't fend for herself. She was strong and independent. She didn't need her father, friends, ex-boyfriend, teammates, coaches, or teachers. _Letting others help you makes you weak and vulnerable._ At least, that's what she had always told herself.

But that was before she had almost gotten raped.

Before her teammates, coaches, and friends disregarded her.

Before her father called her, telling her he was not returning to New York for another 5 months and that he was to be married next week to some foreign woman Mona had never heard of.

Before the alien-robot monsters kidnapped her in the night, locking her up in a strange underground lab.

Before they had turned her into a lizard-human _freak_.

Before Raphael had saved her life a second time.

Now, she wasn't so sure independence was the right path. She had been extremely independent for the past couple weeks, and she was more vulnerable than ever. So, for now at least, she was grateful for Raphael's strong arms holding her.

He jumped over something, and the sudden jolt of the landing shook Mona's damaged wrist. The momentary pinch of pain followed by a dull ache caused Mona to take in a sharp breath, clenching her teeth together and unharmed hand into a fist. Of course, Raphael noticed and his arms became even tighter around her body. She could tell her pain was making him angry out of guilt. Which was why she was _trying_ to keep her pain to herself. She didn't need him to worry about her.

She had her eyes closed, but she could tell from under her eyelids that he had brought them to a better-lit part of the sewers.

_I can't believe I once dated the captain of the basketball, lacrosse, and baseball teams, and now I'm running around the sewers with some over-grown turtle. _

Mona subconsciously shook the horrible thoughts out of her mind. How dare she criticize Raphael, the one good part of the mess that was her life, and compare him to a repulsive creature like Garrett. Without Raphael, she wouldn't be alive_. Everything is so backwards… it should be Raphael getting all the glory and living a normal life, and Garrett stuck down here in the sewers._ Even though she hadn't said it out loud, her calling him an _over_-_grown_ _turtle_ filled her with guilt. Just by being around him she could tell he was every bit as human as she was.

It was ironic that she had dreamed of him and what he would be like if he was a human, because now it was the other way around. She was a mutant, like him. She was a lizard-girl, thanks to those creepy robot things.

_I belong down here just as much as Raphael does._

She kept her eyes closed, mostly out of fear that if she did open them, she would be met by a pair of worried emerald ones. Then Mona felt Raphael's pace slow down and heard him call out.

"DONNIE! MASTER SPLINTER!"

His loud voice startled her, causing him to hold her closer still to his solid plastron. He walked down three steps and laid her on something worn and soft. She shivered with anticipation and fear. Now that Raphael's body heat wasn't blocking out the chill, her new cold-blooded body had to fight the icy air, and she was losing. Raphael must have noticed her shiver, because she was immediately covered with a blanket. More footsteps approached her now and Raphael addressed them.

"Donnie, her wrist is damaged; I dunno if it's sprained or broke or whatever you call it, but… can ya fix it?"

A softer voice, but equally as masculine, answered Raphael, "Of course I can Raph. But you said she? Who…?" Raphael must have gestured to Mona, because the man she guessed to be Donnie went silent. Then he spoke again. "Is she unconscious?"

Raphael sighed gruffly, "I don't think so, but she's kept her eyes shut ever since I told her I was bringin' her back here." _Oh no, I don't want him to think I'm out cold._

Something touched her shoulder, and Mona's eyes flew open. But instead of the sparkling green eyes and red mask she had come to know, she was met by chocolate brown eyes and a purple mask. Gasping in surprise, she tried to sit up, but Brown Eyes wasn't going to have that.

"Woah, hey there. No need to jump up. You're okay, and I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to check your wrist; my brother Raphael said you hurt it pretty badly." As he moved back, Mona could see Brown Eye's skin- it was a lighter shade of Raphael's. _His _brother_? Well, Raphael did say he was taking me to his family. _

Brown Eyes gave her a slight, sad smile.

"I'm Donnie. Donatello. Now can I see that wrist?" Mona, still processing what was going on, slowly shook her head yes and a held out her left wrist, which had swollen and turned a dark blue color. Donnie took one look, frowned, and nodded.

"That's a sprain all right. Let me get an ice pack and something to keep it steady. Raph, get her some pain meds."

Mona hadn't noticed Raphael was on her left, she was so caught up in Donnie and the fact that Raph had another mutant turtle brother. He gave a curt nod to Donnie and turned, off to find what Donnie had requested. Seeing him go, she finally took in her surroundings.

She was lying on a shabby couch that had been built-in to the level of the pit that took up a large part of the room. Directly in front of her, an old TV and two bean-bag seats were on the lowest level of the pit. Behind them was a wall, and from the wall two sides of the pit stretched, connecting to the side which held the couch Mona was resting on. To her left, the direction Raphael and Donnie had run off to, was a hallway, a large metal door, and some arcade games pushed up against the wall. To her right, she could see a kitchen space and a Japanese-style sliding door. Behind her, a pool of water and some old subway turnstiles. _This must be Raphael's home. _He lived in an old abandoned subway station in the sewers. Charming.

When Donnie returned, another figure followed behind him. Donnie was whispering to the person, but Mona couldn't make out their conversation. The new figure was cloaked in a dark maroon robe and, as they came closer to Mona, she saw they had a tail, snout and whiskers. Normally, a humanoid rat would scare Mona pretty bad. But nothing was normal anymore. Willing herself to stay completely calm. She had been silent long enough; it would only be polite to attempt to say something. As she opened her mouth to speak, her effort was cut off by Donnie.

"This is our Father, Master Splinter. Master, this is the girl Raph found."

The rat's red brown eyes found hers and he gave a slight bow. "Hello, child. I am sorry you have had to come to us this way. It is my understanding that you are injured?"

Mona couldn't find her voice. Again, she only nodded.

"Donatello will take care of you. I am going to make you some tea; it will ease the pain. You will drink this if I make it, yes?"

This man reminded Mona of her science teacher, Mr. Roberts, so much that she almost laughed. Instead, she gave Master Splinter a small smile and a couple nods, trying to show her enthusiasm.

He chuckled softly and called out, "Leonardo, Michelangelo. We have a guest."

As Donatello went to work on her wrist, Mona Lisa looked up to find two other turtles walking toward her. Well, one was trying to walk, but had to keep a strong grip on the other, smaller one who was desperately trying to break free. She could see despite the sling his arm was wrapped in, that the shorter of the two was extremely excited, like a small puppy. Mona heard a small giggle erupt from her lips, which only encouraged the squirming turtle. He finally broke free, and now Mona could see what the taller turtle was trying to prevent. The shorter turtle was sprinting full speed for Mona, the tails of his orange mask flying behind him. She cringed and clamped her eyes shut, waiting for impact, but it never came. Slowly opening her eyes again, she saw Donnie and the other blue-masked turtle each had an arm around the orange-masked troublemaker, telling him to calm down.

Orange Mask snapped his head up and looked at her with wide, excited sky blue eyes. "Hi! I'm Mikey!"

The other two groaned, picked Mikey up and plopped him down on one of the bean bags. Donnie held him down and whispered something to him, to which Mikey answered in a loud voice, "Aw Donnie I wasn't gunna hurt her! She needs a hug!"

Blue Mask had left them and walked up to Mona's couch. Crouching to her eye level, he rolled his eyes and gave a slight smile.

"Sorry about him. New people are his favorite, but sometimes he forgets his own strength, and we don't need you injured any more than you already are. I'm Leonardo. Or Leo. Whichever." The smile on his lips reached his dark ocean blue eyes, and Mona could feel one beginning to creep onto her face too. Donnie was back on her left, attending to her wrist, so she sat up, feeling a bit more comfortable and relaxed. Master Splinter was on his way back when she finally felt compelled to speak.

"Nice to meet you, Leonardo. Yes, and you too Mikey," she said, giggling slightly when he made a face, "I'm Mona Lisa. And thanks, Donatello, for fixing my wrist. I should have known not to break my fall with it." She tried to lighten the mood with the wisecrack at her own intelligence. Purple masked turtle's face immediately erupted into a soft pink color; a strange but funny contrast to his otherwise green face.

This wasn't a Raphael blush though. This one was more practiced, more natural. Raphael's was uncomfortable and happened when he was embarrassed. Donnie's was caused by an obvious bout of shyness.

Master Splinter entered their small circle once again. "My, what a turn-around. Someone seems to be feeling better." He came with a cup of tea, which Mona accepted shyly but gladly.

Splinter had another cup with him, which he passed to Mikey, who suddenly didn't look too excited. "Ugh, but Father…"

"Silence, my son. Miss Mona Lisa is not the only injured one among us. You too must drink up, and heal."

Grumbling, Mikey sipped his tea. With a look of satisfaction, Splinter turned next to Donatello and Leonardo. Looking between them, he spoke quietly.

"I think we see now what has been causing much of Raphael's anxiety." Both Mikey and Donnie snickered, and Leo rolled his eyes. Mona looked at them all, not quite understanding what they were saying. Leo saw her confusion and explained.

"Raph has been a bit temperamental the past few weeks. Well, he always is, but let's just say it's been more than usual." Mona nodded, one eyebrow still raised, questioning. "He wouldn't tell any of us why. But he was distracted during training, and stayed out late at night after patrol on his own."

Mona's eyes widened. _He was looking for me. _Leo, seeing her reaction, laughed.

"And now, I think we know what- or _who_- was on his mind." Mona gasped and turned her face away; hiding the deep blush that now occupied it. The turtle brothers howled at her embarrassment, and Splinter just chuckled, shaking his head.

_Was what they were saying true? Was Raphael really thinking about me all this time?_

Mikey was the first to speak up, still trying to control his laugher. "But guys, if Raph was out lookin' for Mona, why would he look topside? Wouldn't he stay down here lookin' for her?"

Mona glared up at him. What, did he think she ran around the sewers for fun? Her tail flicked angrily. _My tail. _Of course. She looked down at her hands; her green, four fingered, slightly webbed hands. _I look like I couldn't be from the surface… I look like a lizard. _

They had all seen her glare, and then her look of sadness as she considered her hands. Her silence had made them all fall quiet, too. Finally, she looked up again and addressed Mikey.

"I'm sorry Mikey, I didn't mean to give you that look. It's just… I wasn't always like this." As she said this, she realized something else. Leo said Raphael hadn't told anyone about her. And if they didn't know she had been human before, Raphael also didn't tell them about the night he saved her.

_Maybe he's ashamed of you._

This made Mona very upset. But, she couldn't blame Raphael, she would probably feel the same way. And she couldn't let her emotions show.

It was Donnie who finally broke the silence. "Mona… what do you mean you weren't always like that?" His eyes widened as he figured it out. Softly, he said, "You were just recently mutated, weren't you…"

At this, she couldn't hold the tears back any longer. She nodded at Donnie and let the tears run free. _Where is Raphael? I need him. Now. _

Leo and Mikey had stepped in to console her when Raphael finally returned with the medication. Seeing Mona in tears, his temper kicked in. He yelled at his family, "What did you say to her? I leave for a couple minutes and…" He stopped short due to Mona shaking her head.

"No, Raphael, don't be angry with them. They didn't do anything to upset me. In fact, it was thanks to them that I felt comfortable enough to speak at all. It's just the shock of…" the sobs took her voice again, and all Mona could do was gesture to her new reptilian body.

Raphael looked down, taken aback at Mona's outburst. He made silent, apologetic eye contact with his brothers and Father, taking extra time to express to Mikey all the guilt he felt for harming him. They all nodded back at him, accepting his apology, knowing that small showings of emotion like these were hard to come by in Raph.

He then sat next to Mona, close enough that she could be comforted by his presence. Softly, he asked,

"Mona, d'ya think ya could explain to us what happened?"

Putting her hand on his, (and feeling his slight jump at the contact), she dried her tears.

"Only if you explain to them how you know me."

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**I love writing in everyone's personalities. So much fun! Up next, confession time for Mona and Raph. **

**Check back for more!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back to back today with new Chapters! (I'm gonna try to keep this pace since it's break.)**

**I know this one is a bit shorter, but I wanted to get the mutation explaining out of the way so I can dig deeper into the story. Can you see relationships forming between Mona and the brothers yet? I can't wait to get more in-depth with them!  
I love Mona and Raph's little moments. They're so adorable. I can't wait to expand on those, too. **

**THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of the reviews! They are so great. When I get an email notification I'm immediately excited and can't wait to read what you guys think. **

**I'll remember to include this now: I don't own TMNT or any related subjects. Though I wish I did. So badly. **

**Enjoy and give your opinion! I hope I made the science-y stuff believable. **

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**Origin**

Mikey, for once, was at a loss for words. Leonardo looked like he was going to be sick, or hurt someone, or both. Donnie was just looking at her with those sad, chocolate brown eyes, trying to silently apologize for something he had nothing to do with and couldn't have prevented. Splinter's reaction was a mix of Leo's and Donnie's; but also pride, for his son had done the right thing.

Raphael had just finished telling them the gruesome story of how he met Mona. Granted, he left out the small details she knew he would; how he sat with her and made sure she was okay, the way he carried her home, and that he had been in her house, had laid her on her bed. She knew he would leave these out; she saw the emotional shell he had created around himself. He was the quintessential tough-guy, and didn't want anyone seeing his soft side. The question on Mona's mind was; why did he show _her_ that emotional side?

Leonardo broke the silence.

"Raph, normally I wouldn't be happy that you let your anger go like that and let yourself be seen, but I understand. I would have done the same thing to those sickos."

When he looked at Mona, the sadness he felt for her shown plainly in his ocean blue eyes. She gave him a small, reassuring smile, letting him know she was okay and had come to terms with what happened that night.

Donnie laid his hand lightly on her shoulder and gave it an understanding squeeze.

"No one deserves that Mona, but I can tell that you especially don't. I'm so sorry."

She looked up at him, her eyes slowly filling with emotion at his kind gesture. _I just met them, but they're treating me like they've known me forever._

Mikey finally broke, wailing at the top of his lungs.

"Mona you're so great I'm sorry the bad guys almost got you thank shell for Raph being there!" He wrapped her up in a huge hug, despite his injured arm, and squeezed her tight. His brothers all moved to take him off of her, but she waved them away.

Mona could tell Mikey needed this hug as much as she did, that it was his way of being completely sure she was okay. She patted his shell, murmured "Thanks, Mikey" and he finally let her go.

He kept his face close to hers and whispered, "You're with us now. Nothin's gonna hurt you anymore. We won't let it happen," he paused, "especially Raph." he added with a wink.

Mona smiled for real then.

"I know Mikey. Thank you."

She looked around at the brothers and their rat father. They all looked expectantly back at her. _Now it's my turn._ She looked for Raph's green eyes; they calmed her and made it easier for her to explain without the threat of tears.

"Well, after Raphael saved me that night, my life went on normally."

_If you don't count being shunned by every person you know. _But she kept that information to herself; she knew Raphael would respond badly if he heard what she had gone through.

Mona could feel herself becoming nervous; all her tell-tale signs were showing. She looked at her lap, curled one strand of her hair around her finger, and played with her stud earrings. But she couldn't not tell them. After the care and support they had all shown her, they deserved to know. She took a deep breath, preparing herself. When she let it out, she rushed right into her story.

"But then, a couple nights ago… wait. What day is it?"

"Wednesday." All four brothers confirmed simultaneously.

Mona's eyes widened in shock. "Well, they took me from my house on Sunday night. I was out on the terrace, doing bio homework, when these robot-alien things jumped down all around me."

Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello all made eye contact. They all spoke at once, uttering a word Mona somehow recognized, "Kraang."

Mikey, a bit preoccupied with assessing Mona's emotions, finally piped up. "Oh yeah! Guys, you're totally right. It must have been the Kraang that got her."

Mona nodded, now remembering where she had heard the word from.

"They said that word a lot, I remember. They spoke in a weird, broken 3rd person sort of English."

Donnie frowned, "Definitely the Kraang."

Mona continued.

"Right. Well anyway, all I remember then is that they shot me with a sedative and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in some medical-looking room. They must have noticed I woke up, because two brain alien things came in and strapped me to a chair. They took blood samples and then left me for the night. They didn't feed me till the next morning, and as soon as I was done they sedated me again. This time, when I woke up, I was floating in a large liquid-filled tube. I had oxygen, and all my clothes were still on, albeit soaking wet."

Mikey raised his hand with a question, probably to ask what "albeit" meant, but Donnie shushed him and motioned for Mona to continue.

"The alien brains were at some sort of control panel in front of me, tapping away and talking with each other. Next to them I saw a case similar to mine, though much smaller, holding a reptile. It looked more like a salamander than a lizard to me, but I'm just being technical."

She looked up from her lap and saw that Donnie understood her desire to differentiate between the two species, Mikey was still deep in thought, and Leo and Raphael had their arms crossed, matching scowls set on their faces.

Averting her eyes down again, she explained why she understood what they did to her next.

"I'm really into biology, and my science teacher, Mr. Roberts, had me experimenting with mutagen. I knew what it could -and can- do. I knew they planned on mutating me with the salamander," Mona choked up a bit at this part, "but I didn't understand why they had chosen _me_ as their test subject." Mona closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears in. _Finish, Mona. You've made it this far. _

Regaining her composure, Mona persisted in a whisper.

"They sent the salamander DNA and the mutagen into my system through what was probably an IV. I knew as soon as it hit, because all I could feel was pain. I knew what was happening to my DNA, but I couldn't think. It only lasted about 10 seconds, and I knew the mutation was successful. I had done it enough times on insects in my lab that I knew what the outcome should be like. I just never imagined I would _feel_ the change."

They were all quiet for a moment, thinking Mona was finished. But she wasn't. Her head snapped up, her eyes fiery and her voice was a snarl.

"They tried to run tests on me, on my new body. But I wasn't going to be their lab rat. I ripped the tubes from my body, and broke through the glass that held me. I knocked out some of the alien brains before they could react, and picked up one of their guns to take out the rest. I slipped into one of the drains on the floor, and ended up running and swimming through the sewers. I had climbed out of the water after hours of running when you found me, Raphael."

Everyone looked to Raph who, in turn, avoided eye contact with everyone. They were all speechless. No one knew what to say, she guessed. But she understood. What could they say? Her situation was unique. She knew they had also mutated at one time, but she had a feeling it had been long ago.

Surprisingly, it was Splinter who spoke up.

"I remember the pain well, child. I was a young man myself when mutated with a rat." Mona looked at him with sadness, but she was happy to know someone else understood her suffering. Splinter gestured to his sons, "My boys do not know of this. They were baby turtles exposed to human DNA, so their mutation was the opposite of ours. They were 'born', for lack of a better term, from their mutation."

Mona looked around at each turtle, who were all now avoiding her gaze.

_It's so different for us. Their mutation gave them their life, and it took mine away from me._

She stood, reaching for each turtle, pulling them all into an embrace, even their rat Master. She hugged them all, and mumbled, "Thanks for understanding, guys."

As she broke off, she could see each son felt more at ease. Mikey was giving her a huge smile, Leo a genuine one, Donnie a shy one. Raphael was looking at her in wonder. It only took him a second to compose himself, removing all traces of his slack-jawed appearance from his face. He cleared his throat and spoke directly to his brother.

"Donnie, go get your laptop."

Confused, the taller turtle opened his mouth to ask why, but Raph cut him off and pleaded, "Just do it. It's for her." Convinced, he waked off into the room behind the large metal door. Mona gave Raph a questioning look.

He looked at her, clearly flustered, trying to make his words form a sentence.

"I just thought, ya know, they should know what you looked like, who you were…"

Donnie was back with his mangled laptop. Mona understood what Raphael was asking. She opened the browser and found her school's website. Knowing her lacrosse picture was the best one, she pulled it up and turned the screen so the rest could see. They all widened their eyes, except for Raph.

Mona stood a bit taller, now not ashamed of how she looked. She knew Raphael had done this for her, not just his brothers and Sensi. He knew it would make her feel better to know she hadn't changed, only her appearance did.

The girl in the picture held herself high, radiating confidence and strength. Her eyes gleamed with the understanding of her potential and the responsibility she held, determined to make those she cared about proud of her. She smiled genuinely; she was doing what she loved and was enjoying every minute of just being alive, being able to do what she wanted.

The brothers looked up, into the face of the same girl. And what they saw was no different. Her posture still held her proud attitude, her eyes understanding and determined. She gave them all a sad but real smile, a smile of thanks.

Only the red-masked turtle noticed the doubt and pain behind it all.

* * *

**Aw, Raphy sees her pain. They should probably talk that out. Right..? We'll see!**


	7. Chapter 7

**My longest chapter yet!**

**This one was so much fun to write. Not as angsty, a lot more fun and humorous, especially since I threw in some Mikey POV. Love that little guy. The song he's singing is one of my all-time favorites, American Pie by Don McLean. I think McLean's range of voice would fit Mikey's perfectly, and since Mikey is the artsy, fun-loving one, he would really like the lyrics. **

**Thank you times a billion for the reviews. I love them all to death and take each one to heart! It's amazing to me that over a thousand people have read the stuff I wrote! Ah!**

**I don't own TMNT or anything associated with them. **

*****Updated**

* * *

**Welcome Home**

Raphael sat on the edge of his bed and ran his hand over his face, exasperated. He tried to block out the sound of the shower starting two rooms away and instead focused on the normal sounds of the house.

The stove beeping, alerting Mikey that whatever food he was fixing up was ready. Donnie welding in his lab; Leo working through his katas…

Raph tried to slow his heart rate and match it with the rhythmic pangs of metal-on-metal from his brother's katana.

But the unnatural sounds still creeped into Raph's mind, putting him on edge. That old, unused washing machine Mikey and Donnie had brought home years ago was now working, washing the only article of clothing the girl had come here with. _Mona Lisa, _Raph reminded himself, _I got a name to put with the face now. Should start usin' it. _

Falling backwards onto his bed, Raph lay on his shell in the darkness of his room. Focusing on anything _but _her was terribly difficult. He wondered if his brothers were having the same problem, thinking about the new mutant girl who had joined them. It was funny to think that there were six of them now- six mutants, living in the sewers of New York City. Raph felt like one of them shouldn't be here. She didn't deserve this. His thoughts drifted back to the picture on Donnie's screen. The face of the human girl Raph thought he knew so well stared back at him.

_How could that same girl be here, in my house, in my _shower_?_

Raph closed his eyes and shook his head. Thinking about Mona and a shower at the same wasn't gonna help his nerves. When he did, that familiar warmth crept up through his body again.

Leo would warn at him, "Don't lose your sense of chivalry, Raphael." _Yeah, yeah. Not everyone has self-control like you do, Chief. _

Especially around Mona. Shell, he was embarrassing. He never thought forming a simple sentence would be so… _impossible_. Raph gave a loud groan and pounded his fist against the wall. Thinking back now, Raph was disgusted by what he said. "_I thought they should know what you looked like…" _Like it would make a difference. At the time, Raph thought it might help ease the shock. He saw how distressed she was, understood how painful the mutation had been for her. He thought maybe, seeing herself would make her realize how little she actually changed.

But now he was cursing himself for his stupidity. She was probably even more hurt and confused, and wished she was back to normal. He had pushed her away when all he wanted was her to be closer.

Raph knew one thing: the reason behind the Kraang's strange absence wasn't a mystery anymore. He just wished _she _wasn't what had occupied his enemies' time.

His train of thought was immediately cut off. The water had stopped. The dryer was now running instead of the washing machine. Leaping off his bed, not really thinking about what he was doing, Raph ducked into the hallway. Pausing for a second at the bathroom door, he shook his head and instead kept walking.

He ignored Mikey, who called to him from the kitchen, and went straight into Donnie's lab. Disregarding Donnie's mixed look of confusion and outrage, he made his way to the dryer. Heaving the door open, he grabbed the lone pink hoodie from inside. It wasn't perfectly dry, but it was warm and it would have to do. Before Donnie could ask, Raph stormed back out and into the hallway.

* * *

A layer of moisture had covered the chipped mirror while Mona showered. Wiping it away with annoyance, Mona almost screamed when she saw her appearance. Instead, she let out a deep breath and scolded herself. She would have to get used to the new green complexion. This was the first time she had ever got a good look at herself.

Holding the surprisingly clean and fluffy towel around her with one hand, she let the other touch her face. Though her wrist was still tender, Donnie had wrapped it well. Like, really well. Better than most any doctor she could think of. So it didn't hurt as she pulled at the corner of her eyes and mouth. She scrunched the now nostril-free bump of a nose just to test the expression. Thankfully, her face hadn't changed much. Large hazel-green eyes looked back at her; her uneven lips were slightly open in wonder.

_Ugh. Why couldn't the mutation have changed that? _She prodded her thin upper lip and thick bottom one with webbed fingers. _Stupid pouty lip. I still have to hide it. _She had gotten very good at proportioning her lower lip with her top over the years. Sure, they both looked thin, but whatever. Better than the alternative.

There was something unsettling about her eyes though. Usually they were a mixture of darker brown and light green with small, almost unnoticeable gold flecks. Scrunching her eyebrows together, she squinted into her own eyes. The gold was a lot more noticeable. And instead of a gold color, they were now very much yellow. A bright yellow that Mona imagined would glow a bit in the dark, like a cat's.

_Wonderful. Creepy lizard girl has creepy lizard eyes. _She was angry. How dare someone change her like this?! Looking back at her refection, Mona stifled a scream. In her anger, her pupils turned to slits. Frightened of her own self, she felt her anger leave her. Her eyes returned to normal. Now she was nervous. What if she couldn't control that?

She felt a tickle at the base of her spine. Still on edge, she turned quickly to see what had touched her. Behind her was nothing but a dull sewer wall. Turning again, she caught a glimpse of green. _Raphael? _She associated him with the color now, because of his skin and eyes. She felt the tingle again. This time, she grabbed at the movement. She felt a sharp pain as her nails dug into their prey.

_I grabbed my own tail. _Wow, she felt stupid. The thought of a small puppy dog chasing its tail popped into her head. Nice. Releasing her tail, she tried to control the new appendage. It was like having another arm attached to the base of her spine. It really was quite skinny at the end. She craned her neck to look at her backside. It didn't stay skinny for long, growing thicker and thicker until it met her tailbone. Where it attached to her body it was a bit smaller than the width of her hips.

_Oh, I really am something, aren't I. _

She itched her stomach. _Ouch. _Mona's sharpened nails almost cut into her soft belly. Again wiping the mirror to allow a clear picture of herself, she removed the towel from around her body and looked herself over. Just below her collarbone and at the top of her breasts her skin turned a soft yellowish green. The yellow color covered her stomach and formed a sort of leotard shape in the middle of her hips and to her thigh gap.

Still in shock of her new body, Mona absent mindedly reached up to scratch the back of her head. The only hair left on her body was on her head. She breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn't want to lose her brunette waves. A muscular arm was reaching behind her head, the muscles contracting and retracting as she scratched. _That can't be my arm. _

Sure, Mona was a three-sport athlete and yes, she was toned in a healthy way. But in her new body, her muscles stood out even more. Her arms, shoulders, and back were solid. Her abs weren't hiding under a thin layer of fat, but were softly defined on her smooth skin. Her hips were impressively strong and her legs felt firm underneath her. _Holy crap._

The mutation of her human muscles and the salamander's had made her extremely powerful. She stood in awe, flexing and unflexing until she felt like a silly teenage boy. Wrapping herself again in the towel, she felt her stomach growl. She vaguely remembered Mikey saying he was making them all dinner.

She reached to open the door, but stopped short in embarrassment. _This is not your apartment, Mona. This is a house full of four teenage mutant turtles and their mutant rat father. It isn't appropriate to be walking out with just a towel wrapped around you here. _Aw shoot, her hoodie was being washed. Donnie had offered to clean it for her while she washed off. But she couldn't get it now, and there was no way in heck that she was going to ask one of the boys to get it for her.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

The loud noise startled Mona terribly. She was surprised to hear her voice shake when she answered.

"W-wha-at… I mean, uh… occupied?"

A familiar voice called out to her from the other side of the door.

"Didn't mean to scare you… Thought you'd probably need this. I'll jus'… leave it out here on the doorknob." Footsteps padded away again.

Holding her towel tight, she opened the door just a millimeter, looking out to see if he was still there. He wasn't. She kind of wished he was. But no, only a soft glow of light from the common area filled the hall. Opening the door a bit wider, it caught on something. Her hoodie was hanging there on the doorknob, just like he said.

Grabbing it, she quickly closed the door and put it on; zipping it up so just a smidge of her yellow skin was showing. She towel-dried her hair, wishing she had her hair products with her. They were the only things that could control her waves. Whatever. She was going make-up free, so her hair didn't matter much anyway, right?

Finally opening the door, Mona was met with an oddly appetizing smell. She picked up her pace, letting her heightened senses lead her to the source of the smell.

* * *

"_So bye, bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry…"_

Michelangelo sang as he cooked, rushing around the small kitchen with his ninja-like reflexes. _I bet I could do this with my eyes closed. That would be _so _sweet. _Hearing Raph's punches intensify, Mikey subdued his singing to quiet humming. He could tell his older brother was on edge, and didn't want him losing his temper with Mona here.

_Hehe, Mona. _Mikey grinned devilishly to himself; Raph totally had a thing for her. The funny part wasn't that he was attracted to her; Mikey understood why. She was smokin', _and_ she was the first female mutant they had ever met. And she was their age. No, it was hilarious because he was so bad at hiding his feelings.

_Leave it up to Raphie-boy to have a soft spot for dames. Heh. Who said bad boys weren't sensitive?_

If his brother hadn't already silently claimed her, Mikey would absolutely go for her. And, he wouldn't hide his feelings from her, like Raph was desperately trying to do. Mikey was an open book. Sure, he was a expertly trained ninja and blah, blah, blah. But that was just when he was fighting the bud guys. With the ladies? He could turn on the charm.

_Speak of the devil. _Mona had just walked into the kitchen. She looked a bit worried, and cold. _How 'bout some old-fashioned Mikey hospitality._ Michelangelo let his voice climb back up from the hum, starting into another verse of his song.

"_Now, for ten years, we've been on our own, and moss grows fat on a Rollin' Stone, but that's not how it used to be…"_

Mona snapped her head around, smiling shyly at him. He grinned back and simultaneously put the plates into the microwave to get them warmed up.

Looking away, he continued the song. "_When the jester sang for the king and queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean-_"

"_And a voice, that came from you and me…"_ Mikey whipped around in surprise. That wasn't his voice. She had picked up the song! Smiling even wider now, he continued.

"_Oh, and while the King was lookin' down"_

"_The jester stole his thorny crown"_

"_The courtroom was adjourned…"_

Together, they belted the high notes, "_No verdict was returned!"_

Mikey was laughing hysterically, and Mona was giggling. Everyone had stopped what they were doing. Don peeked his head out of his lab, mouth agape in awe. Leo stood leaning against the door of the dojo, a small smirk playing on his face. Raph stood in mid-punch, scowling in jealousy at Mikey. Which only made Mikey laugh harder, doubling over and grabbing his sides.

When he finally controlled himself, he grabbed the plates and walked over to the table where Mona was now standing. Again, he couldn't help grinning at her.

"Good to know we have another singer in the house. Raph and Donnie can sing too, but they won't do it with me anymore. 'Too old to be making a fool of themselves' and crap like that. Your voice is great!"

Still smiling, she agreed.

"I'm notorious for making a fool of myself when I sing. I do it all the time in my empty apartment. Well, Nettles is there to listen, but usually I just blast my speakers so no one can hear my pathetic voice. It's fun to sing with someone else." She stopped short, realizing too late that she was rambling. Again, she blushed when she realized she rambled. She reminded Mikey of Donnie. They both blushed a lot.

"I hope to hear you sing more, child. Your voice is truly wonderful." Master Splinter had just walked in, following the sound of his children's and guest's voices and the smell of Mikey's dinner.

"What have you prepared for us this… early morning, Michelangelo?" He motioned to his older three sons to have a seat at the table.

As everyone took a seat, he brought over one of his favorite meals.

"It's quesadilla night! Or, midnight snack. Or whatever. It's late." It really was; they had gotten home from patrol at one in the morning and Mona and Raph got back a bit before two.

The others muttered their contentment; everyone liked quesadillas. Mikey smiled happily as he watched his family dig in.

* * *

"Thanks Mikey! These are great!" Mona shouted back toward the Pit. Mikey had just made her these cool leg-warmer/sock looking things to go on her feet. She also got the "honorary ninja feet-taping" (at least that's what Mikey had called it). She felt much better, her feet taped like the guy's and the pink warmers to hide the tape. Her toes peeked out and they went to about mid-calf, but surprisingly they made a great deal of difference. Her feet were no longer cold.

After the singing episode, dinner, and the making of her new footwear, she felt completely comfortable around Mikey. And she knew he felt the same way, because he had openly told her with wide baby-blue eyes,

"I like you! We're keepin' you around!"

If she had bonded with one brother so quickly, why couldn't she bond with the others? She wanted to get to know them for sure, but also she felt like it was the only way to express her thanks for their acceptance of her into their home.

She heard Leo in the dojo and was on her way to see what he was up to when she was stopped by a loud noise. A loud bang, to be exact. It had come from behind the large metal door to her left. Instantly curious, she peeked inside just a bit. Donatello was sitting with his back to her in a large, beaten up office chair. He must have heard her, because he snapped at her without looking.

"Mikey, I told you to not interrupt me when I'm; oh. Hey Mona. I-I'm sorry about that…" Mid-sentence, Donnie had turned around in his chair to see that it was Mona, not his younger brother who had peeked in. Swishing her tail anxiously, Mona backed away.

"Oh Donnie, I'm really sorry I didn't mean to bother you…"

"No, no, Mona, you're fine. Usually Mike comes in and annoys me until I give in to playing a video game with him. Come on in. What's up?"

Feeling a slight bit more confident, she took a few hesitant steps inside the homemade lab. She couldn't believe it; it looked a lot like hers at home.

"I just heard that explosion and wondered what the heck was going on. Are you working on something?"

"Just trying to work with this Kraang technology. I've reverse engineered it before, but the Kraang were still able to take control of it. I'm wondering if I can replicate it, it would be easier for me to undo or find a loophole in my own work that I could try on the Kraang stuff."

Mona was taken aback. Wow, this kid was smart. She was speechless for a few moments. Donnie took her silence as one of not understanding.

"Oh, sorry, I don't wanna bore you… none of this is at all interesting to anyone but me…" He looked at her with a sheepish, gap-toothed grin. How did she not notice that gap before? It was plain adorable.

"No, Donnie, that's really interesting! I've been doing the same with the mutagen in my experiments. Trying to find something like an antidote. I've tried recreating the mutagen so that I can reverse it, and maybe reverse the effects too." Now it was Don's turn to feel shocked. No one else really understood his experiments, but she did! And she was doing them herslef.

Instantly excited, Donnie started spounting off questions about her results and why she liked biology and her teacher and if she had textbooks. She laughed at his enthusiasm, and suddenly they found themselves having a two-hour-long conversation. Walking out of the lab hours later, they were still discussing their favorite engineer and inventor, Nikola Tesla. They met Leo in the kitchen, who was grabbing a drink.

They were so caught up in their discussion that they almost didn't notice him until he intervened.

"Oh look, our resident genius has found another of his kind to compare nerd facts with."

Rolling her eyes, Mona turned to face the turtle that had teased her. She finally took full notice of Leo. He kind of startled her, mostly because his demeanor was just so much more serious than Mikey or Donnie's. Although Donnie had almost two inches on him, Leo seemed bigger. _Must be an "Almighty Leader" thing._ He was covered in sweat; he must have just finished training. Again. Since she had gotten here, that's all she had seen him do. Train and meditate.

So it surprised her when he smiled at them, letting them know he was joking, and offered a movie night. _Guess scary leader guys can have fun too. _At the mention of a "movie night", Mikey dropped his game controller and flipped his way over to them from the Pit. He sprinted past them to grab his expansive collection of movies.

Mona noticed Raphael was in the Pit too, sitting on the couch with an old comic and a turtle. Not a mutated turtle, just a regular old turtle. He was feeding it a piece of lettuce. Leo must have seen her raise her eyebrows at the sight, because he leaned over and whispered to her, careful so Raph wouldn't hear.

"That's Spike. Raph's pet turtle. He's in love with the little guy. He's had him since we were seven." She giggled softly as Leo told her this.

Looking at both Leo and Donnie, she ventured the question that had been on her mind all night.

"How old are you guys now? Are you all the same age?"

Donnie smiled down at her.

"We're all 18. Just turned 18, actually, a couple months ago. Our Mutation Day is March 21st."

Leo piped up, "We all have the same birthday. But I'm the oldest, based on who mutated first. Master Splinter said I did first, then Raph, Donnie, and Mike is the baby."

Said turtle returned with his DVD's just in time to hear Leo's comment.

"The youngest is the cutest, and always gets what he wants", he reminded them, throwing a wink at Mona. His brothers just rolled their eyes and Mona grinned but shook her head. Mikey dropped his voice low again, glancing up at his red-masked brother and then back at the three standing in front of him.

"But it's not just the youngest that gets what he wants. And I think we know what- or _who_- Raphie-boy wants." That devilish grin spread across his face as he said this, staring at Mona. She felt her face burn bright red with embarrassment. _What's Mikey trying to say?_

Leo picked up on the little game.

"I think I'm gonna have to agree with you Mikey. Our hot-headed hero of the night has a thing for damsels-in-distress." Now his face had a little smirk on it. _Oh no. They aren't saying…_

"It's a good theory guys. Mona, maybe you'd like to test it…?" _Ha, ha, Genius. Clever science pun. _Donnie's gap-tooth was showing.

Mona was _so_ beyond embarrassed. But did he really feel that way? He hadn't paid attention to her since the hoodie/shower thing. Maybe his brothers could confirm.

"Oh come on guys. Just because he saved me… twice… doesn't mean…" She lost her voice because all three were shaking their heads, not going to listen to her denial.

Leonardo lowered his voice and caught her eyes with his sapphire ones.

"Mona, I've never ever in my entire _life_ seen Raph actually openly care about someone. It just doesn't happen. But based on how distressed he was during the weeks after he met you…"

"…and the way he acted when he brought you back here tonight…"

"and how he looked at me with pure jealousy when you were singing with me!? Hamato "Killer" Raphael has a soft shell for a certain young lady."

They all silently cackled at the look of utter shock and embarrassment that was plastered on Mona's face.

But on the inside, she was overjoyed. She never knew that the small acts of caring he showed Mona were so hard to come by. She had no idea that he was as reserved as his brothers made him out to be. She saw how flustered she made him, though, so she probably could have guessed. She wondered if they noticed how she felt about him. _Hmm._

Raphael's brothers were watching her closely as she mulled over what they had just told her. They all saw her emotions shift from ones of doubt and embarrassment to sly determination.

_If what his brothers say is true, I should have a little fun with Raphael. _She grinned maliciously; _I accept the challenge of flustering a ninja__. I don't think his training could have prepared him for _me_. _

She looked up at the turtle brothers, grinning even more when she saw that her attitude change had spooked them.

"You're right, Donatello. Why don't I go test that theory?" She moved in the direction of the Pit. She knew they were watching her leave. One last time, she turned back around and whispered, "Michelangelo, I know you must have more movies than that. I think you missed some. Maybe your brothers will help you look?"

They all stared back at her, mouths agape. _I think they got the message. _

Mona turned and sauntered off towards Raphael.

* * *

**Oh man. Raph better watch out. Can you imagine the guy's faces as they watch his hot mutant chick, who is clearly up to no good, walk over to their brother?! Do you guys think this is too fast? I think you'll like where I'm taking this...**

**Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I've had this chapter written out since day one. It's evil and cute and so funny to think of Raph being so vulnerable. **

**I don't own the Turtles. But dear God I wish I did. **

*****Updated- I think you'll like the improvements ;)**

* * *

**Tease**

_Humph_.

"Look's who's back from the dead, Spike." Raph addressed his pet in a whisper from behind his comic. Donnie and Mona Lisa had just come from Don's lab, where they had spent the last two and a half hours together.

But who's counting, right?

Raph's mind was a blur of _Why is she in there? What are they doing? Doesn't Donnie like April? If he touches her I swear… Maybe she likes nerds; I hope she's okay; Shell Donnie just come out of there already. _At least when Mikey hung around her he could keep an eye on them. Raph had gotten so restless that he almost said something mean to Spike. He apologized immediately, of course, but this was the first time he had ever thought of snapping at his buddy.

So it was obvious that Raph was a bit tense.

When they finally appeared, they were talking about some electric AC Tesla thing, who knows. Trying to seem nonchalant, he kept his spot on the couch and fed Spike his favorite food.

Donnie and Mona entered the kitchen. A minute before, Captain had gone in for a drink. _This should be good. _

Sure enough, Cap cracked some nerd joke that shut them both up. _That's my Leo. _They must have been a little miffed, because Leo suggested that they have a movie night.

Mikey, who was obviously listening in on their conversation too, heard this and jumped up, his ADHD brain completely forgetting the video game he was just in the middle of. Shaking his head in mild disgust and wonder, Raph settled back in behind his comic. Don and Leo were talking with Mona about their birthday. (Mutation Day, whatever.) Of course Captain had to bring up that he's the oldest. _Prideful son of a bitch._

Then their conversation went quiet.

"What do ya think they could be sayin', huh Spike?" Raph whispered from behind the shelter of his comic again. Raph snuck a peek over the thin, worn book. All eyes were on Mikey. Leo and Donnie seemed to be pretty smug about whatever he was saying. He couldn't tell what Mona thought; her back was to him.

Then she turned toward him, walking toward the Pit. Frightened, he buried his face in the pages, trying to make himself look busy. But she turned back again. Raph stole one last peek over at his brothers and Mona. The look on their faces should have been enough to tell Raph to get the shell out of george. His brothers looked absolutely dumbstruck. If the girl that had made his brothers react in such a way wasn't making her way over to him, he would have laughed at Leo's face. It was priceless.

_What the shell is goin' on. _He had avoided her all night for a reason. He couldn't trust himself around her. Either he found himself staring, or he rambled, or he couldn't form a sentence. And that stupid heat had pricked in his toes and chest multiple times. So, he had chalked it up to instinct: fight, or flight. And he had chosen flight.

She seemed to have chosen fight.

_This should be interesting._

* * *

Raphael was hiding behind his comic, still feeding Spike that same lettuce leaf. _Spike. _That was a good place to start. Mona slowly lifted the small pet and his snack from the cushion next to Raphael, and sat down. She set Spike on her lap and held the leaf in front of his face, letting him continue chewing. She glanced at Raphael out of the corner of her eye. He had this face like he was about to say something, but either couldn't or wouldn't. It was pretty gosh-darn adorable.

Mona held back a laugh and instead settled back into the couch, slowly stroking Spike's shell as he chewed. She said something that she thought Raph would like to hear. "He's a tough little guy."

"Yeah, well, takes after me."

She gave him a side glance, eyebrow raised. _Oh, really? _

He relaxed into his trademark smirk, smug and confident. _Not for long, tough guy. _

"The guys seem to be takin' a likin' to ya." He said it so monotone, she couldn't tell if he was relieved, jealous, or curious to how she felt about the new friendships.

She decided the safest path was to be outright honest with him. She smiled faintly,

"Yeah, Mikey made me these warmers and taped my feet," kicking her feet to show them off, "and Donnie and I compared notes on the Kraang technology and mutagen."

He raised his eye-ridges. "So you're a science girl, like Brainiac?"

Mona laughed softly, "Well, we're usually called scientists, but yes. I guess I am a 'science girl'".

Raph waved her suggestion away. But when he saw her amused expression, his grin turned a shade more sheepish.

"Eh, big words just confuse stuff. I like science girl much better." Mona just smiled and shook her head. Then he turned on the serious face. "Speakin' of mutagen… how're you doin'…?"

Mona considered his question. How _was_ she doing?

"Honestly, Raphael," she missed how he jumped slightly when she said his name, "being here with your family has made it all pretty okay. Your brothers and father have welcomed me like I'm old family visiting or something… I've forgotten all about my mutation multiple times today. I think I'm getting used to it."

Raph nodded, understanding. She thought some more.

"But seeing Donnie's lab reminded me of my own, at home, and seeing you with Spike makes me miss Nettles." She turned her attention from the larger turtle to the smaller one in her lap, still stroking his shell.

"Nettles?" Raph was now looking at Spike too, watching Mona pet him.

Mona smiled at a memory.

"Nettles is my pet ferret. My dad never let me get a dog, so instead I got a ferret. He's my little guy. Just like you, Spike." The last part she cooed at the little turtle, who seemed to smile at her. Normally, Raph would have killed anyone who even touched Spike other than him, but this wasn't normal. This was Mona.

Raphael was concerned.

"Won't your dad be worried about ya? Does he know what happened?"

Mona scoffed. _I wish. _

"No. He doesn't know. But don't worry, he doesn't care. I haven't heard from him since last week, when he called to kindly let me know he was getting married _again_, and that he would be staying in Europe for another five months. _Again_." Mona didn't mean for her words to be so laced with anger and hurt. But she couldn't hide it. _Stupid abandonment issues._

Mona felt a large hand on hers, three fingers tightening themselves around her four in an effort to comfort her. Raphael's tough guy smirk was gone. His mouth was set in a hard line, his usually hard emerald eyes had melted, communicating one message over and over again: "_I'm sorry. I'm here for you."_

She could tell it was difficult for him to keep his temper. Behind the comfort, she saw his desire to threaten Mona's father into righting every wrong he had done against her. It made tears prick in Mona's eyes. _Nope. I cry almost every time I'm around this guy. Didn't I come over here for another reason?_

Lucky for Mona, Raph realized how close their faces were and that he was still holding her hand. Immediately he tried to hide the blush on his face by turning away from her, pulling his hand away fast.  
Mona felt the grin playing at her lips again. _Oh yeah. That's why I came over here. _

She set Spike down on the far cushion, checking to make sure he wouldn't toddle off the side. Satisfied that Spike would be safe, Mona slowly stepped her fingers up Raph's arm and twisted her hips so her knee was touching his. He did not disappoint. His body reacted instantly, muscles tensed.

"So. You've saved my life how many times already? …Twice?" Mona could hear the innocence in her voice. _This should be fun__. _

* * *

_Oh shell. What's goin' on. _

"Well. I, um. I-I wouldn't s-say..."

_Nice. Real articulate, idiot. What the shell is Mona doing?_ He could have sworn he imagined her fingers on his arm. Her knee bumping his? Total accident. But when she spoke, shell, her voice… It kick-started his senses. They went into overdrive, attuned to every small detail of her movements. And once again, the liquid heat was slowly making its way through his veins, collecting at the spots were Mona's body met his.

* * *

She felt his body tense under her hand, but still he wouldn't look at her. Knowing she was getting to him, she moved her hand from his arm, down his plastron, to his muscle-bound leg, tracing circles on his thigh.

"Don't be modest Raphael. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

Mona was surprised at her own voice. Since when did she know how to sexy-whisper like that? Man. She didn't give herself enough credit. _Poor Raphael. Am I making you uncomfortable?_

* * *

When she ran her fingers down his plastron, his body erupted into shivers; the circles on his inner thigh made his breath come in short bursts. Where she touched him, his skin was on fire. He thought he might melt. What was happening? Raph couldn't think, his mind had lost total control over his body. She was driving him crazy. _How could one small girl make me lose control like this? Just don't look at her_, he told himself_. Don't look at her eyes_.

"Mona…" he tried to steady his voice, "what… of course I saved ya, but…"

He couldn't get his thoughts together, and what he tried to say was lost.

* * *

Mona could feel him quaking under her touch. She thought it was really cute how he was trying desperately to control himself, but still his body and voice betrayed him. The poor guy was totally losing it. But, out of respect for her he wouldn't (and physically couldn't) bring himself to fight back. _Time to take it up a notch._ Quickly, gracefully, she sat her legs on top of his, balancing herself in a straddle and facing him dead-on.

* * *

He suddenly didn't feel her touch on him, and snapped his head up. _I swear if I messed this up I wont _ever_ forgive myself._ Because as much as she was killing him, Raph _loved_ it. He _wanted_ her to touch him. It was what he had wanted all along, he realized.

Raph expected to see her retreating form, but instead he was surprised when two hazel eyes met his. …_Mona? _The brown and green looked familiar. But instead of the gold flecks he loved, almost glowing yellow flecks shined back at him. He couldn't believe it. She had used the stealth of a kinoichi to actually _sit_ on his lap. He took in her straddled position and his mouth dropped open in shock.

* * *

_Finally_, he looked up at her. _Oh, wow..._ She really had to be more careful of what she wished for. Those emerald eyes almost made her forget what she was doing; they made her breath hitch in her throat. The usual sparkling green had turned a darker pine color due to the intensity of their situation. Ironically, those eyes brought her back to the task at hand. Seeing her effect on him gave her renewed confidence. She drew more patterns on his plastron, exploring his well-defined muscles and soft, tough skin. She leaned in, laid her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder. He smelled _wonderful. _He lived in a sewer, but he smelt like all the good things in nature; warm grass, pine trees, and rain. She kissed his collar-bone, relishing in his soft moan. _Gotcha. _

* * *

She pressed up against him. Her small, wandering hands caressed every muscle they could find, making Raph's body switch from a small vibration of nerves to an earthquake. He couldn't control it. And the heat; oh shell, the heat was enveloping him. Every small touch from her wandering fingertips was like a mini fire starting in his body. On the inside, he felt like he had jumped into a volcano. Why did it feel so _good_?

He was already using all the willpower he had to keep his hands from doing what she did to him. All he wanted was to feel her soft curves under his hands; to explore what he knew with his eyes with every other sense. She pressed her lips to his collar-bone. _She kissed. My collar-bone._

If Raph thought her fingertips could light his body on fire; he was in now way ready for what her lips accomplished. The impression of them had to be burnt on to his skin, he could feel them there even when he knew she had moved away.

He couldn't stop repeating it in his mind. He didn't realize it happened until he heard it, the low groan of desire that escaped him. _Shell. I'm gonna give her the creeps. I bet she can tell this has never happened to me before; she's gotta know how inexperienced I am. _The kisses continued up his neck, to his cheek, on the place where his nose should have been. His body burned with the touch of her soft lips.

_I've never lost control like this ever, in my life._ His eyes snapped open. _That's it._

* * *

_Mmm_. Raphael tasted _so_ good. She wanted so badly to attack his lips with hers, but for the fun of the game she kept her kisses elsewhere. She had him; she was in control. _Making you uncomfortable is too much fun._ Resting against him again was nice. He wasn't shaking anymore. _Wait. What?  
_Without warning, she felt him shift. Looking up, she saw the emerald eyes were wide open. _Uh…_

* * *

He now knew what she was doing. In his embarrassed chivalry, she had decided to tease him. She gained control and was enjoying his submissive nervousness get the best of him. Raph was impressed, but he was done being used. The heat that had consumed his body now gave him the courage to fight back. _How bout we turn the tables, little miss seductress. _Letting out a low growl, he pulled her closer to him.

* * *

He growled. Actually growled, like an animal. _Well, there goes that_. She was pulled closer to him, her legs around his midsection, chest to chest, eye to eye. Those emerald eyes looked into hers, this time full of mischief and power and desire. He attacked her with a kiss; a real one, deep and full of pent-up emotion.

* * *

He kissed her in the way she didn't kiss him. Full on the lips. He had no idea what to do; he had no experience. So he did what he had been trained to do his whole life. He shut his brain down and let instinct and his senses take over. Namely, the instinct that told him the overpowering heat was good, and that he needed more. He could feel it on her lips now too.

All of a sudden, his hands were at her back, bringing her closer still. He could feel her muscles contracting as she attempted to close the gap between them. _Stupid hoodie. Get outta my way. _One hand reached up and cupped her small face, holding her softly. He wanted her, that was obvious, but he also wanted her safe, secure, and to know how much she meant to him.

* * *

Raphael held her like she had never been held before, kissed her differently than she had ever experienced. Deep lust and desire were there, kept at bay by his sweet softness, making her feel she was important and that she mattered to him. _I'll take this over a tease any day__. _

Needless to say, they were both a little distracted. Mikey came running down the hallway singing "Life is A Highway", buying Raph and her some time to break apart.

"Mona! Master Splinter says you can sleep in Raph's room. Raph, you're sleeping on the couch, bro. I dunno how long, cause I think Mona's supposed to be staying with us for a while…" Mikey lost his train of thought. Mona and Raph made eye contact, each giving the other the same look of surprise and confusion. Then Raph blushed again, making Mona giggle. She had to hide it in her hand, because Mikey was giving them a weird look.

"Yeah… okay, well, I really hope you're staying with us Mona!" He ran over and wrapped her up in a one-armed bear hug. "Goodnight! And sweet dreams Raphie-boy!" Mikey skipped off again.

"How does he have that much energy? It's almost 4:30 a.m."

"You'll learn t'not question chucklehead's energy. There's so many screws loose in that kid's head even Brainiac couldn't count 'em."

Mona couldn't help but laugh again. Standing, she patted Spike on his shell. "Night, tough guy."

Raphael just sat there, clearly still recovering from what just happened between them. Leaning down, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She then climbed the stairs of the Pit, walking behind where Raph sat and let her finger linger across his shoulders as she walked back toward the hallway.

She was almost to the kitchen before she heard him whisper-yell, "I swear, Mona, if you do that again-"

"I'll make sure to play a little nicer." She finished for him with a wink.

"Goodnight, Raphael."

* * *

**Yay or nay? Review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**So so so so sorry about the long gap in between uploads. Getting back to school has been hell, and I haven't had time to properly think about where I'm gonna take Raph and Mona next. Instead, this week, I kept thinking about Mikey, and evaluating his personality. So I created this little adventure of his to satisfy my thoughts. **

**This doesn't mean that Mike is taking over the story, or that I'm foregoing Raph and Mona's relationship! They will be back, don't you worry. **

**I snuck this in as a side note almost, it happens, in my mind, only a day or two after Mona turns up at the Lair. **

**Gabrielle may or may not make another appearance later in the story. Depends on how things are going. Also, I don't own any TMNT characters. But Gabrielle was all my idea.**

**Anyway, enjoy Mikey-time!**

* * *

**Time-Out**

"MIKE! I'll _kill_ ya!"

"Raph, no! It's not worth it! You know he'll just come back with an even worse trick if you do; just wait it out." Donatello's voice softened into a whisper, "Then your revenge will be even sweeter."

Leonardo joined in his purple-masked brother's effort to restrain Raphael. "Genius's right Raph, let him go and we'll get him later."

Mikey peeked out from behind a corner, watching his brothers' struggle with a sheepish smile on his face. Donnie saw Mike before he could duck out again, and called to him. "Mikey, you better get out for a bit; if Raph gets loose you're not gonna like the consequences."

Michelangelo leaned back against the wall, laughing under his breath and inwardly congratulating himself for the success of his latest prank. He didn't expect Raph to walk into it so easily. _He _has_ been kinda off lately. _But that's what made it so satisfying; he hated seeing Raph brooding and lashing out at Donnie and Leo, so he decided a good prank was in order. But Donnie was right, Raph definitely needed some cool-down time. So Mikey hopped the turnstiles and headed for the surface.

…

Mikey made for his favorite manhole and let his mind wonder. Not surprisingly, his thoughts drifted to a familiar scenario.

_What if I could have a day to be normal; go up to the surface in the daylight without anyone lookin' at me funny? What if could give Donnie, Leo, and Raph that chance? Donnie would want to go to some school, or museum, or library. Raph would watch a fight, and probably get into one. Maybe Leo would get out of the city, go hiking and meditate somewhere. It'd be nice to give them something like that; a chance of normalcy. But would they want it? Would I want it? Maybe we aren't so different from normal already. Just cause we don't look like humans doesn't mean that we aren't like them, right?  
I wonder what I'd look like. I bet I'd be a handsome devil. Like that Chris Evans guy- or Freddie Stroma. Yeaah. Curly blonde hair and blue eyes; bet I'd pass as one of those surfers. But would I still be _me_?  
It'd be cool to be an actor like that. Famous, so everyone knows you. A lot different from not existing. But that might get to be pretty exhausting, everyone knowing all about you and what you're doing.  
Sometimes the shadows are nice that way; no one knows what you're doing. I wish I had someone to share my human adventure ideas with, other than my brothers. Well, I got April. But she's busy enough with Donnie. And Mona knows it all; she lived like a normal human already.  
Does Mona miss high school? She told me she hated it; the people are all materialistic and only care about parties and alcohol and sex. But who wouldn't want to throw a party? My parties wouldn't be like the ones Mona told me about; I don't think I'd need all that alcohol to have a good time. But sex? From what I've seen on TV, it's either not a big deal or a very big deal. And everyone seems to be happy when they have it. If I was human, would girls wanna do _that_ with me?  
_Mikey thought a bit harder. _Seems sorta gross.  
But I guess if you're in loooveee, like April and Genius. Oh, ick. Let's think about something else.  
If I were human, would I still have my ninjutsu skills? Maybe I would be a superhero! Maybe I'm already a superhero! But no one really knows about us. Don't superheroes have to be known about to be heroes? Leo always says "vigilante". That doesn't sound as cool.  
Aw nuts. Should have grabbed my board before I left; that looks like a great tunnel to grind._

After inspecting the skateboarding tunnel, Mikey reached the grate that let out in an alley only a block from Central Park. He loved to roam around the park at night, but right now the sun had only begun to set, so he would have to wait. Stealthily, Mikey hopped up into the alley and replaced the cover, immediately making for the rooftops.

He hadn't been running long when he came across a break-in at a small video store. The three criminals were extremely stereotypical; the black ski masks, bags, handguns, the whole bit. Mikey smirked at their efforts to assert themselves. _I guess I should teach them what they're doin wrong; it's only fair._

Mikey leapt in through the smashed window, staying completely silent as he passed some frightened customers. Seeing their shocked expressions was almost too much; he wagged his eye brows at them for good measure. Seeing that some of them were on the verge of crying out, he held one large green digit up to his mouth in a _shush_ gesture.

Leo and Donnie wouldn't like him messing around, but for once Mikey was going to do things _his_ way.

Two of the robbers were grabbing as much merchandise as they could fit in their bags while the other stood by the door, keeping look out and threatening the customers with his gun at the same time.

Mike knew the drill. _Get the guns away first, then take 'em out._

With a speed even his brothers couldn't match, Mikey ran and swiped the first two men's guns from their holsters. Using that same momentum, he rounded the corner of the counter and slid in between the third man's legs, grabbing the gun from below and delivering a bone-cracking punch to the man's wrist.

The robber cried out in pain and fell to his knees, but Mikey was already gone, dumping the bullets from the guns and chucking them in the outside dumpster. The robbers were still standing where he left them, dumbfounded, when he slid back into the store. This time Mike chose to use his nunchaku to take them down. A few hits to the back of the knees and one over the head for each was enough to send them into unconsciousness.

Using zip-ties he found in one of the desk drawers, Mikey tied up the criminals' wrists and ankles. He had just finished when the sound of approaching sirens hit his ears. One of the customers must have called in. Mikey gave a good-natured wave to the still awe-struck customers and flew back out into the alley.

…

Mike had been practicing his flips for almost a half-hour on a roof top when he heard loud voices from the street. Curious, he peeked out from the roof, searching the ground below for anything out-of-the ordinary. What he saw wasn't a crime-in-process, but a long line of elegantly dressed people.

Mikey cocked his head to the side at the sight. _What are these people doing, dressed up like that on the street?_ Then an idea struck him. _This building must be important, and they're waiting to get inside! _He jumped to the neighboring building's roof to get a better view of the building all those people were waiting so long for.

What he found almost made him squeal with happiness. Instead, he had to make due with an excited shiver.

He had been practicing his flips on the top of one of NYC's largest art galleries! _Man, I wish I could get in there and see what they have on display. I bet those pieces would be so inspirational. And I could see how well my work would stack up against theirs. If only I could get my stuff into a gallery…_

His mind still contemplating which of his paintings he would risk submitting to a gallery, Mikey jumped back to the top of the gallery and made his way down the fire escapes on one side. _Maybe a window will be open, and I can just peek in… _

His thoughts were interrupted again, this time by sounds of a scuffle. All thoughts of the art work gone, Mikey dropped into the alley. But he didn't see any one, and the sounds were coming from behind a couple crates and a dumpster. _A human should be taller than that dumpster… so why can't I see any one? _

Hands on his nunchaku, Mikey crept forward. A small yelp, a soft growl, and snapping of jaws told Mikey that he wasn't dealing with humans; the animals causing the ruckus were dogs. Luckily, a fire escape was placed directly above and to the left of the crates where the noises came from. Shooting toward the bottom ladder, Mikey pulled off a quick trapeze tuck and landed on the edge of the dumpster. He took in the scene only a few feet below him.

Two large, mangy Dobermans had cornered a German Shepard pup, seeming to be enjoying teasing the puppy with their big jaws. One would snap at the little one's tail, causing it to scamper in the other direction, right into the jaws of the other. This went on for a couple rounds before the young pup raised its hackles and growled its soft puppy growl back at them. Mike was impressed. The pup had guts.

The Dobermans were done playing, and Mikey could tell it was time to intervene. He swooped down and grabbed each by the scruff of their necks; tossed them toward the mouth of the alley. "Go on, you big bullies. Get outta here."

With small whimpers, the two ran off, tails between their legs.

Mikey didn't expect to be attacked by a small, wriggling fur ball. He laughed loudly as the German Shepard covered his face with puppy kisses. The pup's outward friendliness was unexpected; Mikey would have thought it would turn and run as soon as it was able. But when he got a hold of the squirming puppy, he could tell it wasn't like the other two who had attacked it. Its coat still held a dull shine, and its ribs lightly stuck out from the small body. The pup was a she, and her excited brown eyes gleamed in the street light.

It seemed as though she had already forgotten that her life had been in jeopardy just moments ago. Mikey nuzzled his nose against the pup's, laughing when he received another thorough face-licking. "Those big guys are gone sweetie, but it seemed like you almost didn't need my help. You're a tough pup, aren't cha?" Mikey produced a soft growl of his own, copying the one he heard earlier from the small puppy in his arms.

Her perky ears flattened back against her head, and she replied with the same growl. Mikey doubled over with laughter, hugging the Shepard to his plastron. She seemed to have picked up on the game and put on a happy puppy grin when she saw he was merely playing.

"Oh, I like you girl. You deserve a name, for sure. Now lemme think." He sat the pup down and let her nibble on his fingers as he thought of the perfect name for the outgoing puppy.

"Got it! Rita. How 'bout it, Rita?" He glanced down at her, watched her tiny tail wag in appreciation. Mikey smiled. "You're comin' with me, little lady."

Scooping Rita up, he took to the rooftops. His new puppy seemed to understand Mikey wouldn't hurt her, and after clearing a few buildings he felt her relax against his plastron. He made his way back toward Central Park, trying to find a rooftop with high enough ledges that he could set Rita down without worrying about her falling.

He did find one, and with his luck, it had a water storage tank on it. Mikey slipped the top off slightly, and lowered the pup down. She knew what to do; he held her there until the sound of lapping at the water ceased. Mikey wished he could give her something to eat, but would Sensi even let Rita come home?

_Doesn't make a difference. She's coming home with me no matter what. _

Mikey watched Rita run around the rooftop, playing with the smallest things and keeping herself occupied. _She can't keep her thoughts straight; _Mike thought with a smile, _she just goes from one thing to the next. But she understands so much! I'd bet she's more perceptive than Raph. _Rita ran back over to Mike, just wanting check up with him. After a quick hand lick, she was off again, sniffing every inch of the roof.  
_It's funny how dogs are perfectly fine with us. Well with me, but Rita will love the guys and Master Splinter too. She wasn't afraid of my appearance, and really, neither were the other two. They were afraid because I threw them down the alley, not because of how I looked. If people acted more like dogs, maybe we wouldn't have to be so scared to come out of the shadows. _

Mikey decided that to repay Rita for her friendliness, he would find her something to eat. Promising he'd be right back, he took off for the residential area a couple blocks away. Scaling the building, Mike was happy to see one of the residents left out their dog's food in the back, which the dog hadn't yet touched.

Mikey left what he thought to be the right amount of money where the bowl had been, and quickly ran back for Rita. On his way back he picked up the sound of loud music from a nearby street. He made a mental note to swing back and check it out as soon as he picked up Rita.

She was waiting for him, front paws up resting the ledge of the roof and tail going a million miles an hour. It was enough to win her a kiss on the head and a scratch behind the ear. Pulling the bowl out from behind his back, Mikey addressed the dark brown eyes. "I hunted down some dinner for you little girl! Chow down!" As soon as the bowl touched the ground, Rita was all over it.

Deciding to sit with Rita as she finished, Mikey wondered about the music he heard. He also knew he should be getting back home; it had been dark for at least two hours now. Promising himself, Rita, and his family that the music would be his last stop, Mikey gathered up his now-full puppy dog and retraced his steps back to the residential area. Once there, all he had to do was follow his ears to the source of the tunes.

As they moved closer, the music became louder, until Mikey could see that it was coming from a local high school. Settling on the building closest to the school, Mikey peered down at an open door. From inside he could see flashing colorful lights and the outlines of hundreds of dancing teenagers. _It's a party! But, Mona said those aren't usually at the school. What did she say about parties at school…  
Don't they have school dances, like the ones on TV? The big one is called Prom. Maybe _that's_ what this is. _

Mikey spotted a smaller building, a type of shed, closer to the door. Holding on to Rita tightly, he shot into the night, only pulling up on his speed when the both of them were safe behind the corner of the building. Mikey slumped against the wall, wishing more than anything that he could have a chance to go to something like a school dance.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice Rita becoming antsy. She jumped up, nipping at the back of his head. Before Mike could scold her, she jumped again, this time returning to the ground with a strip of orange in her small jaws.

Mikey smiled and decided to allow the curious pup to entertain herself with his mask. He rested his head back against the building, listening to the music coming from the gym. The note at the ending of the chorus kept reminding Mikey of a song he used to sing; every time he heard it Mike felt compelled to continue right into the other song. After the last chorus, Mikey couldn't help himself anymore. He knew exactly what song he was thinking of; it was one he and Raph loved to sing together when they were 12.

Knowing the music would cover him, Mikey let his voice creep up, gradually louder and louder into the song.

"_They love... to... tell… you,  
Stay… inside… the lines.  
That some... thing's… better…  
On... the… other side._

I wanna run through the halls of my high school  
I wanna _**scream**__ at the  
__**Top of my lungs**__  
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world  
just a lie you've got to rise above_

_I am invincible  
I am invincible  
I am invincible  
As long as I'm alive"_

He brought the song back around as he remembered a part of the first verse that applied to his situation quite hilariously.

"_Well I never lived the dreams of the prom kings  
And the drama queens  
I'd like to think the best of me  
Is still hiding  
Up my sleeve…"_

He was preparing to start into the chorus again when a door slam and the clicking of heels on pavement stopped him short. Mikey grabbed Rita before she could run out, and snuck a quick look around the side of the building. There in the alley behind the gym sat a girl in the longest, most eye-catching dress Mike had ever seen.

It was strapless, and colored deep blue at the top. The dress cinched in at the smallest part of her waist and the blue lighted just a shade there. A long, white, gauzy skirt attached at her waist and fluttered against her legs when a breeze blew by.

The girl wearing this dress sat down on a piece of sporting equipment not far from the door. Mikey watched as she slipped off her heels and stretched her legs out, curling her sore toes. Mike thought it was the cutest thing he had ever seen; the girl's little toes curling up as she stretched. He was so entranced that Rita managed to squirm her way out of his grasp and scamper off towards the girl. Before Mikey could reach for her, she had already made it out into the light of the alleyway.

The girl glanced up and smiled when she saw Rita tumbling over her own feet in an effort to run faster. She scooped the pup, who was now shuddering with excitement. The girl laughed just as Mikey had at Rita's openness. She held the pup out at arm's length and looked Rita straight in the eyes. "Now I know it wasn't you singing back there missy. Who's your friend?"

With a shock, Mikey realized that she was talking about _him_. _She heard me?! What do I do? I can't show myself to her! But I need Rita, and she already knows someone is back here. How can I get to Rita and keep the girl from seeing me… I wish I back home, if I hadn't come out I wouldn't be in this mess. _

"I think your puppy wants you to show yourself, too."

Sure enough, Rita had run back into the shadows and was now tugging on his knee pad with her teeth. He reached down for her, but again she skirted beyond his reach and back toward the girl.

_Oh, what the heck. _

He tied his mask back on before stepping out from behind the building, but he kept to the darkness. Mikey kept his plastron to the girl, so she wouldn't see the outline of his shell in the shadows. "I didn't think you'd hear me."

"Well, to be honest, I didn't expect to hear _anyone_ out here. That's why I came out."

Mikey couldn't help himself; his curiosity caused him to be blunt. "Why aren't you back in there? Weren't you having fun? Don't you like to dance?"

She laughed nervously. "Woah, woah, there. I didn't know I was playing 20 questions. You're lucky I'm not screaming for help. Usually I wouldn't be talking to a random guy who hangs out in the shadows of alleys. If it weren't for your little friend here, I'd be gone."

Mikey cringed at the harsh truth of his situation. _I must be pretty creepy, hanging out back here._ "Sorry. I'm not the type to hide out in the shadows, really. I'm forced to do it for my safety… I'd love to be out in the light! I'd _really_ love to go to that dance. But that's impossible."

The girl scrunched her eyebrows together at his confession. "How do the shadows keep you safe? What are you hiding?"

"Now who's asking the 20 questions?"

This earned him a small smirk from the girl. "Touché. Alright, how 'bout this one. Why do you want to go to that dance so badly?"

"It's a party! I've never been to one. And I love to dance, but my brothers will never dance with me. To dance with other people… that would be _so_ awesome. Why _wouldn't_ you want to go to a dance?"

She looked down at her feet. "You mean why am I out here, and not in there."

"Well, yeah. I guess."

"I'll tell you. But I want to know; who are you?"

Without thinking, Mikey jumped at the chance to introduce himself. "Name's Mikey! Or Mike. Short for Michelangelo. Oh shoot… probably shouldn't have told you that."

"No, I'm glad you did! Why shouldn't you have?"

"Sensi won't be happy; Leo would kill me. We aren't supposed to reveal ourselves to humans."

"'To humans'? Like, you're not one? You sound like any other guy at my high school."

"Huh. Well, I'll promise you, I'm not. A guy from your high school, I mean. I'm still a guy…"

_This isn't going anywhere good. I need to leave. Where's that dang pup?_

"Well alright, 'Mikey'. But I think your puppy here isn't going anywhere quick." Reading his mind, she gestured to Rita, who had now curled up at her feet. "And I don't think you want to leave without her. She's a total sweetheart. So either I'm going to have to bring her to you, or you're gonna have to come get her. Which is it going to be?"

Mikey broke into a cold sweat. _What can I do?! Maybe if I call to her, she'll come. Hopefully she knows her name already. _"Rita! C'mere girl!"

Rita whined in her sleep, but made no move to get up.

The girl shot a smug look in Mikey's direction. "No luck, Mike. This little lady is out."

_Dang it, Rita! Okay. I'm going to do this. I'm just going to grab Rita and hightail it outta here. _

"Fine. You girls win. But please, _please_. Don't scream. And don't pass out."

"Mikey, you're kinda scaring me…" Her voice quivered and left her. Mikey had stepped forward, head down, into the street light. After a couple more steps, he still didn't hear the girl make a sound. _Do I risk looking at her?_

He lifted his gaze slowly, seeing first her feet, traveling up her dress to her face. His eyes met her dark brown ones, and he saw them widen. Mikey involuntarily hunched his shoulders and gave a half-hearted, closed-mouth smile. "I told ya."

She struggled to find her voice. "Well. Uh, yeah, I guess you did."

Seeing that she wasn't too freaked out, Mikey remembered his first question. "So why aren't you inside?"

"What? Oh, that. Well, it's not really my scene. I don't do parties or dances too well. Or any social gathering, for that matter. Actually, my friend dragged me to this one. She got a guy to ask me, took me out to get this silly dress, did my makeup. She worries that I don't get out enough. Yeah, sure I keep to myself a lot, but it's not a problem. I talk with girls on the swim and lacrosse teams. I'd just rather keep to myself. What's the point of dancing with your sweaty classmates? I won't see any of them soon, we'll all graduate and forget all of this and get on with our lives. And… why am I still talking?"

Mikey had been absolutely entranced, his eyes never leaving the girl's face as it contorted into mixed emotions of sadness, defiance, and embarrassment. He could only think of one thing to say. "What's your name?"

She raised her eyebrows, but didn't refuse the information. "Gabrielle."

"You seem so nice, Gabrielle. I mean you're really personable, you took a chance to talk to me and you're still talking to me! I guess because I've never had the chance to talk to anyone, or have classmates, or go to dances, I value all of those things. I don't understand the bad side of them… just because I don't have the experience."

"You know what I think?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that you don't understand the bad side because, for you, there is no bad side. To anything. You're a really positive guy, I can tell. I wish you could have a chance to do everything you want to. But I see that that is a bit out of reach for you…" Gabrielle leaned down and picked up the sleeping Rita, walking right up to Mikey.

She stood about as tall as he did; only an inch separated their eye levels. She held Rita out, and Mikey took his puppy from her. "I'm gonna go back inside and try to finish out the night being a little bit more positive. Thanks to you."

Mikey smiled down at Gabrielle. "Good. And you don't have to thank me. Really, I should thank you for not freaking out."

She turned, waving a dismissive hand over her shoulder. "Anytime, Mike. You better get your pup home."

He nodded, mostly to himself, and leapt for the rooftops again. He didn't notice Gabrielle watching him go as she scooped up her heels from the pavement.

But he did think about her the whole trip back home.

* * *

**Sorry about the long rambles. It's what I imagine Mikey to think like; going from one subject to another. The song he sang was "No Such Thing" by John Mayer, you might know it. I thought of it when I thought of the Prom/meet Gabrielle part. It makes sense him and Raph would sing it, Mikey likes the soft voice and Raph likes the sarcastic, biting lyrics. **

**We will be back with Raph and Mona next chapter!**

**Also, thank you times a billion for the continued support!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Stranger**

Raph didn't think he could take it anymore.

Four days had passed since Mona "moved in" with them, and not once had Raphael talked to her about the events of that first night. He didn't know what to think, but it didn't really matter because if he ever got the chance or confidence to talk to her about it, he would probably chicken out anyway. What could he say to a girl who, for no reason he could imagine, kissed him senseless and then acted like it was no big deal? Add in the fact that he had saved her life, found her mutated into a salamander, and brought her home. Even under normal circumstances Raph would be nervous, but their situation was in no way normal.

He wasn't a guy from her high school that she decided to have a good time with one night. He was a mutant turtle who lived in the sewers, fighting crime with his brothers, almost completely shut out from society. And she wasn't just some pretty face; she was a mutant lizard.

And they were living under the same roof.

With three other teenage boys and Raphael's rat father, all who had no idea what had happened between them.

Honestly, Raph didn't know what had happened either. He had dreams about her being so close to him, how she tasted when she kissed him, the delicate strength in the muscles of her back when he held her. But he hadn't progressed pass the initial shock yet. Which made it all the more difficult to figure his situation out.

In his dreams, the attraction between them wasn't hidden. But then Raph would wake up, and tell himself that the dreams had to stop, that it was all one-sided. What had happened between them was a game for her; she needed a distraction that first night after all the trauma and stress she had gone through. She used him as a way to ignore the pressing issues surrounding her.

It sucked that he enjoyed being her distraction so much. Not wanting her would make it so much easier on him; he would be able to wipe his memory of the incident and play stupid.

That was what Mona seemed to be doing anyway. She wasn't perfectly at ease, he could tell, but he chalked that up to the new mutation and living in the sewers. He guessed she had completely forgotten about their moment, and was expecting him to do the same.

The problem was, he just couldn't.

And knowing that she didn't care like he did made him feel sick to his stomach; it made is chest ache so badly he almost couldn't breathe.

Raphael snapped his eyes open and rubbed a clenched fist over his plastron. He was lying on the couch in the Pit, where he had been sleeping for the past couple of nights. Mona was in his room until Donnie could fix up the small room attached to his lab. The feeling he had just been thinking about came true, as his stomach churned and his heart constricted with the thought of Mona's obvious aloofness toward him.

The clock under the TV read 5:15. Raphael inwardly groaned, but knew he wasn't going to get back to sleep now. He gave one big stretch, arching his back to push his shell against the cushions and tensing his muscular legs. When his muscles felt satisfied, he got up and stretched his arms above his head and gave a large yawn. Finally relaxed, Raph quieted and cocked his head to listen for any other sounds of life. Usually Leo would be up early, but even 5:15 was a bit early for him. Raph confirmed that Leo was in fact still asleep when he didn't hear Leo's sure footsteps working through his katas.

_I'm up earlier than Fearless? That's somethin' new. _

Raph paced over to the kitchen, hell-bent on getting some coffee into his system. He needed to shrug off the layer of drowsiness that threatened to envelop him. As he passed the adjoining hallway, Raph gave a casual glance toward it like he always did. He saw his own door was shut tight. _Now that ain't right. I'm out here, why would my door be…_

Realization slapped Raph across the face, sufficiently waking his tired brain up the rest of the way. All thoughts of coffee forgotten, Raphael turned on his heel and stalked off toward Donnie's lab, putting as much distance as he could between himself and his own bedroom.

Out of all three brothers, Raphael was the least frequent visitor in Don's lab. The boy genius called on Mikey to test his experiments, and Leo stopped by from time to time to discuss how the new technologies Donnie created would assist them on their patrols and ongoing fights with the Kraang, Foot, and Purple Dragons. Raphael didn't care as much for his brother's inventions. Not that he looked down upon them or felt inferior to Donnie in any way; Raphael accepted a long time ago that Genius's brain just couldn't be matched. Honestly, most of the stuff Don came up with outright confused the red-banded turtle. And what Raph didn't understand, he didn't bother with. Leo would call it stubborn and short-sighted. Raph saw it as understanding and respecting his limits.

And right now, he planned on "understanding and respecting his limits" regarding Mona. He didn't understand her one bit; so, naturally, he decided to keep his mind busy with anything else.

It was still too early to work the punching bag; Raph didn't want to wake his Sensi, whose room connected to the dojo. So Raphael chose a quieter outlet for his emotions. Crossing the length of the lab, Raphael entered into the attached spare room that was to become Mona's. The walls of this room were more sound-proof than any other in the Lair for some reason, which turned it into the perfect place for the brothers to store and play their music.

As Raph walked in, he could already see the work his brother had just recently put on cleaning the place. Mikey's drum set, Leo's bass, and Donnie's keyboard were all pushed into a corner, looking useless and lonely. In front of them stood Raphael's electric and acoustic guitars.

To jam out on his electric, amplifiers blazing, imaginary crowd cheering; Raphael couldn't think of a better outlet for all of his pent-up emotion. But out of courtesy for his sleeping family, Raphael picked up the acoustic instead. He sat down crisscrossed, absent mindedly strumming out a few familiar chords.

Raphael hadn't been paying must attention as his fingers found their way through some old tunes he hadn't played in years. One melody stuck out to him in particular, so he went with it. As he played through the chorus, he felt the tune come back to him. Raphael finally recognized it as one of Donnie's favorites from a couple years back, and he picked up the tune with a hum.

Unable to hold his voice back any longer, Raphael's hum dissolved into words. His voice felt the most comfortable in the chorus; that's the part he decided to focus on.

"…_comes shinin' through…  
So caught up in you, little girl  
and I never did suspect a thing,  
so caught up in you, little girl  
that I never want to get myself free,_

_and baby it's true, you're the one  
who caught me, baby you taught me  
how good it could be…"_

So caught up in controlling his voice, Raphael's brain didn't even register the weight of the words he was singing. When he finally did, Raph stopped short with a gasp. _Why did _that_ song come to mind?!_

_That's one of Donnie's old things; from when we first met April. It's not even my style._

Seriously spooked, Raph picked out one of his own favorites to get rid of the uneasy feeling that now gripped his stomach. It didn't require much from his guitar at first, but he plucked along anyway.

_"People are strange, when you're a stranger  
faces look ugly, when you're alone  
women seem wicked, when you're unwanted  
streets are uneven, when you're down_

When you're strange  
faces come out of the rain-  
When you're strange  
no one remembers your name.  
When you're strange,  
When you're strange,  
When you're-  
strange"

As he quieted down for the guitar solo, Raphael felt uneasy; his sixth sense was screaming at him, telling him he was being watched. But he had just started to feel better throughout the song, it was just what he needed to let go of all the confusion and hurt he had been feeling the past couple days. So he continued right back into the vocals as the solo came to a close.

_"People are strange, when you're a stranger  
faces look ugly, when you're alone  
women seem wicked, when you're unwanted  
streets are uneven, when you're down_

When you're strange  
faces come out of the rain-  
When you're strange  
no one remembers your name.

_When you're strange,  
When you're strange,  
When you're-  
strange"_

Raph cocked his head to the side when he heard the door ease open behind him. He _knew _someone had been watching him. Raph set the acoustic back on its stand and turned where he sat. He expected one of his brothers; Leo, being up so early, or Donnie, wondering what Raph was doing in the backroom of the Lab. Who he _didn't_ expect to see was Mona, leaning rather awkwardly against the door frame.

Raphael leaped up and took a step back, unable to hide the surprise from his face. Mona smiled slightly in amusement, but didn't relax from her spot by the door. Heck, she didn't relax at _all_.

"You've been there… how long?"

"Long enough."

Raphael rolled his eyes and huffed angrily. "Great, now I gotta figure out what that means too."

Mona instantly looked guilty and dropped her eyes to the floor. Raph cursed himself under his breath when he realized how harsh he sounded.

"Aw shell, Mona. I don't mean to snap 'atcha, I've just been…"

"It's fine Raphael. Really. _I_ was the one who snuck up on _you_, I should be apologizing."

Raph lifted an eye ridge at her. "You gonna keep callin' me by my full name forever? Only Master Splinter still calls me 'Raphael'."

Mona wrinkled her nose, _which is really cute, by the way._ "Nicknames don't always agree with me."

"You don't seem to mind usin' my brothers'."

Mona shifted uncomfortably. "Well, that's different…"

Raphael shook his head in amazement. _Girls. I swear, I'll never ever figure 'em out. _"Maybe you could come up with somethin' different?"

Mona pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Maybe. But right now, that's not what I'm here for. I wanted to ask you something; I need your help."

Already, Raph could feel the chill of goosebumps spreading across his body. "Uh, sure… what…?"

"I wanna go home. Not permanently-" Mona's shoulders quivered with nervous laughter, "just to gather up some things I need if I'm going to be down here for the long-run. Nettles, my laptop, fresh clothes, my toothbrush… But it probably isn't a good idea for me to be walking around NYC looking like this" she motioned toward her body, "…and the Kraang might still be looking for me. So I thought it would make sense for you or your brothers to tag along? Y'know, just to be safe."

Raph nodded, but couldn't keep the look of surprise and amusement off his face. _At least she'll let me close enough to protect her. _Mona raised her eyebrows at him expectantly. He had taken too long to reply. _Always makin' a fool outta myself around this one. _He set his face in a stoic expression, and tried to channel some Leonardo-esque authority into his voice.

"Uh course we can take you home. Leo and I, we can take you tonight in the Shellraiser and load up whatever you need. We still haven't gotten enough info on the Kraang to guess whether or not they're still out to get you; and we haven't been back to your building to check if the Kraang are watching it. We'll have to be careful, but I think we can pull it off quick enough without trouble."

Mona Lisa smiled genuinely at him for the first time that morning, and Raphael could feel the stupid warmth hit his chest and toes again.

"Thanks, _Fusegu._"

Raphael blinked in surprise._ What did she just call me?_

"When the shell did you learn Japanese?"

Mona reddened some. "Leo and Master Splinter told me all about how it was your guys' first language, so I just asked them to teach me some things. No biggie; and Master Splinter was happy to tell me whatever I wanted. So I asked him how to say…"

"'Protector'?"

Mona had turned bright red now. "I said I would figure out a new nickname, didn't I?"

Now it was Raphael's turn to blush. "Mona… about Wednesday night…"

Before Raphael could utter another word, Mona took a couple steps back, eyes wide and visibly nervous. "Well I think I hear Mikey starting breakfast, I should probably go help him, thanksagainfortakingmetonight bye!"

He didn't have a chance to react before she was gone from the doorway. Raphael let out a frustrated breath and fell to the floor, head in hand. He didn't understand why she was avoiding the subject. They had to talk about it sometime, or Raph was gonna lose it. Why was she ignoring it? Because she was ashamed? Because she made a mistake in kissing him? Because she was afraid? Because she thought he was a freak? _Maybe she hates how you kiss. _

Raph buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. For a second there she had seemed so calm talking to him, almost flirting. And then she admitted to going to his Father and talking about his native language just to create a new nickname for him; _Fusegu_.

_Fusegu. _One who defends, or protects. Her _protector_.

A warm, wet nose pushed itself between Raphael's fingers, sniffing his face. Without having to look, Raphael reached out and grabbed Rita, setting her on his lap.

"Rita, I swear this girl's gonna kill me."

…

Mona snuck back into Raphael's room and tiptoed to the bed. At the last step, she threw herself onto the mattress. She needed to let herself have one moment of emotional release; and there was no shortage of emotions to release right now.

She felt bad for following and watching Raph, but she really had to ask him _sometime_ to take her back to the surface. Her brain had said yes to the opportunity, against Mona's better judgment, when she heard him get up. And in a way, she was happy that she did chase after him. Hearing Raphael sing for the first time gave her goose bumps. Honest-to-God goose bumps. She'd never heard a voice like his; clear, confident, masculine and _real_; it excited her to no end. Watching his too-large fingers find their way around the frets and strings was by itself extremely impressive.

Mona could hear all the pent-up emotion spilling out as he sang; it made her want to crawl into his lap and nestle into his plastron.

_No Mona. Stop it already with these thoughts! _

Ever since the first night, Mona had avoided Raphael as much as humanly (or, in their case, mutantly) possible. She had this brilliant idea that if she wasn't around him, and didn't think about that night, that she would forget it entirely. She didn't want to forget it, but she knew she had to. There was no way she was pulling Raphael into the mess that was her life; especially with a father like hers. He had probably assumed that she used him as an outlet for her grief and confusion, and although that was in no way true, she would let him think that if it meant he forgot about what had happened.

Besides, denial was Mona's specialty. It kept all the pain away; if she could convince herself that something didn't matter or didn't happen, she was saved from the painful emotions that followed those situations. It had worked for all of her 17 years; why wouldn't it work now?

That was the exact question Mona kept running through her mind as she pulled her legs up to her chest, now laying in a small ball on her side. The problem was, no matter how hard Mona tried, she just couldn't wipe the thoughts of Raph's kisses and nervous tension that shook his whole body from her mind.

Then he had to go and make it all worse this morning by bringing it up. It was obvious now that he was as confused and hurt as she felt, which changed everything. Mona had no problem letting herself suffer, but she couldn't bear to see anyone she cared about, _which now includes Raphael, _in pain. Especially when she was the root of all his hurt. _I never wanted things to become so complicated. _

But that's exactly what had happened. Now she couldn't even face him. _He deserves an explanation. He deserves so much more, but the least I can do is explain why it'll never work._

And she couldn't even bring herself to do that. Mainly because every time she was around him her reasons went to crap and all that she could think about were his captivating green eyes and strong arms holding her close.

"_Uggghhh!" _Mona couldn't just lie there anymore. She had to escape, even if for a little, from her own mixed-up mind. The battle between infatuation and logic going on inside of her was too much to bear.

Mona rolled out of bed, off to find the only one she knew could handle her situation.

…

_Mikey hit the jump perfectly. Two 360 degree turns and one back tuck later, his board found the ground again. He hit the snow with a small grunt, angling the board so he took a wide turn and found his balance again. Punching the air, he let out a yell of pure delight, and his brothers responded with a similar shout. _My brothers? _Mikey whipped his head around; sure enough, there they were, racing down the snow-covered hill alongside him. Even April was there, on skis, her fiery hair billowing around her face in stark contrast with the white powder surrounding them. _

_When they reached the bottom of the hill, their Sensi was waiting with fresh mugs of hot chocolate and a warm smile. He listened intently as each teenagers recounted their own ride down the hill, nodding at all the right times. Throughout the stories, Splinter regarded Mike with a special smirk, like he knew something Mikey didn't. The next time their eyes met, Mike scrunched his eye ridges together and gave Splinter a look that said, "What aren't you telling me?"_

_Splinter beamed freely now, and motioned Mikey over. As soon as they were out of earshot of the others, he whispered. _

_"Michelangelo, there is someone here I think you may know…"_

_His Sensi stepped aside, arm outstretched in an introduction. From behind him came a girl dressed in black spandex snow pants, grey knitted boots, a light blue hoodie tucked over a darker blue Underarmor turtleneck, and lavender mittens. A knitted hat the same color as her boots covered her head, but it couldn't cover all of her strawberry blonde hair, which came to rest at the top of her chest some inches below her collarbone. If Mike hadn't been so caught up in her dark chocolate brown eyes he would have laughed at the adorable tassels on the ends and top of the hat. _

_Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, and her eyes sparkled as snow started to fall around them. Flakes caught in her eyelashes and she laughed, reaching a gloved hand up to try and swipe them out of her eyes. She looked right at him, blinding him with her perfect white smile and her beauty. _

_"Mike?" _

_Mikey's voice wouldn't work. _Gabrielle?!

_Her tone softened considerably as she approached him. She was so close now that their breath mingled together in the cold. _

_"Mike? Mikey… Michelangelo?" His personal space became hers as she leaned in even closer, the tip of her nose millimeters from his chin. Chocolate brown eyes melted and looked directly up into his own. _

_And Mike hit the ground. _

Did I faint?

_The feminine voice was calling to him again…_

_"Mikey? Mikey! Wake up!"_

Michelangelo shot his blue eyes open and met a pair of yellow ones.

He almost yelped, but couldn't because of the small hand that covered his mouth. The owner of the yellow eyes must have seen the shock in his own, because they immediately comforted him.

"Oh Mikey, don't freak out. It's just me."

Mike struggled to regain consciousness.

"_Errrah… _Mona?" His eyes adjusted to the darkness enough for him to make out a now smiling Mona Lisa. Mike involuntarily twitched his hand up to his cheek where her long hair was tickling it.

Mona giggled softly and sat back on his bed, allowing Mikey to sit up.

"Hey sleeping beauty. So who's Gabby?"

Thank gosh Mike had been rubbing the sleep from his eyes, or they might have bugged out of his sockets.

"Uh… who?"

"I dunno, that's what I'm asking you. You were mumbling something about 'Gabby'." Is that someone you know?"

Mikey hid his humiliation in his hands, muffling his speech as he answered her. "I have no idea. I don't know anyone named 'Gabby'." It wasn't a total lie; he knew her as Gabrielle, not Gabby.

Mona raised an eyebrow at him. "Huh. Well, anyway, that's not what I woke you up for. Care to get your shell handed to you in Mario Kart?"

Mike narrowed his eyes at her, now fully awake.

"Sweetie, you're asking for it. No one bests me at Mario Kart."

Mona was already out the door. "I call Rosalina!"

Mikey threw back the sheets, grinning ear to ear as he ran after her. "Fine, but she can't beat Yoshi!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello there, here's a bit of an action scene for you lovely people! Next chapter, promise, all romance. Yeah, I've been waiting for it too.**

**But, for now, enjoy.**

**I don't own anything TMNT related, or the streets of NYC, or the Chrysler building. I guess I own Gabrielle Connors, though.**

* * *

**Information**

Leo didn't bother looking up from his katana when he heard Raphael enter the dojo. He wasn't being disrespectful; he knew his brother would speak when he was ready. In the meantime, Leo focused on the katana blade, cautious of the sharpening stone he slid across it repeatedly. The motion was something he had done probably millions of times before, but that fact wasn't enough to break Leonardo's concentration. His twin blades were one of his most prized possessions, and he took their care very seriously.

Sure enough, Raph cleared his throat minutes later, signaling that he was ready to talk. Putting the stone down, Leo sheathed his weapon and turned his attention to the red masked turtle that stood before him. When he met Raph's gaze, he raised his eye ridges expectantly, waiting for his younger brother to continue.

"It's pretty late; I think it's safe enough to go out now, right? We don't wanna keep Mona up till morning." Raphael's words were even, devoid of any emotion. But Leo could see the anxiety, anticipation and… was that uncertainty? in the emerald eyes. _Does he really think this is such a huge risk? Does he know something else he hasn't said; something that he thinks could hurt us?_

Leo doubted Raph would keep any information that had the potential to harm them to himself, but he didn't know exactly what else could be causing the turmoil inside of his brother.

When Raphael had come to Leo earlier that day after training asking for his help with gathering Mona's things from her apartment, Leo had agreed on the spot. He knew it had been coming anyway; Mona needed to get back to her home and get her things if she was to be spending a lengthened amount of time underground. And the backup made sense; their recon from the past couple of patrols suggested, but didn't confirm, that the Kraang were still on the hunt for Mona. What they did know for sure though, was that the alien robots were looking for other test subjects.

But something else was eating at Raphael, and Leonardo hoped it wouldn't interfere with their mission tonight.

Standing, he gave Raph a curt nod. "Is she ready?"

Raph scoffed. "Heck if I know. She's been attached to Mikey's hip all day, I haven't talked to her."

Leo raised an eye ridge at his brother's defensive tone. "Okay… well telling her we're ready to leave would be a good idea, right?"

Now Raph wouldn't face him. "I was… hopin' you could." His tone was quiet and gruff.

Leo was about to ask why, but sudden realization swept over him and kept him silent. Again, he only nodded.

Together, they walked out of the dojo. Raphael went left, hopping over the turnstiles on the far side of the large room. Leo watched him go, hating the ugly feeling of tension that poured off of Raph. Hearing the sounds of a video game from the Pit, Leo decided that was the best place to start his search for their new family member. Sure enough, he found Mona and Mikey bickering over their game. Leo cleared his throat to announce his arrival on the scene and the argument stopped abruptly.

"Mona, Raphael and I are ready to take you now, if you are."

Giving Mikey a look, Mona gathered herself from the couch and walked over to Leo.

"Ready freddy, Captain. Lead the way." The pair was almost to the turnstiles when a voice called after them.

"Leonardo."

Leo and Mona glanced up at Master Splinter, who had emerged from the dojo.

"Bring her home safe, my son."

Leo rested his hand on Mona's back and set his face with conviction.

"_Hai_, Sensi."

* * *

"Should we bring the mattress from my bed? It'll make it easier on Donnie, he won't have to dig one up somewhere."

Leonardo calculated the size of the mattress. "I think it'll be able to fit in the back of the Shellraiser. Raph?" From his brooding spot against the doorframe, Raphael nodded his agreement and moved to help Leo pick the thing up.

Mona's apartment was only three floors up, so moving her things from the terrace to the boys' waiting vehicle below wasn't a problem. They'd only tackled her room so far, Leo and Raph keeping watch as she gathered up any clothes that would still fit her and her bio equipment. Raph had taken the two duffel bags out already, and they were about ready to move into the kitchen when Mona made the suggestion about the bed.

Once Leo and Raph had secured the mattress, they came back into the apartment to find Mona in the kitchen leaning over something. The brothers exchanged looks of concern when they sensed the despair radiating off of the mutant girl. Now, Raph wasn't so guarded.

"Mona? Is everythin' okay?"

Mona's eyes shot up to them, full of hurt and anger and unshed tears. When she spoke, she looked down and her body shook with emotion.

"Someone took him. Just came in… and- and _took_ him." She held out her fist, slowly unclenching it to show a wadded-up piece of paper.

Leonardo reached out and took the note from her, as Raphael moved in to console her. Leo saw, out of the corner of his eye, Raphael cupping Mona's elbow with his right hand, and brushing away the hair from her face with his left. His ninja senses didn't miss the relief in his brother's stance when Mona rested her forehead against his plastron.

In slight embarrassment, Leo averted his full attention back to the paper in his hand. It was a heavily worded message from Animal Rights and the police, condemning Mona Lisa for abandonment and mistreatment of her pet. Leo remembered how fondly Mona had talked of her ferret, and understood her heartbreak. She hadn't asked to be taken away by alien robots in the night; none of it was her fault.

Now it was Leo's turn to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, wrapping her in a one-armed embrace. He discreetly passed the paper to Raphael, who read it and scowled in anger; his fist crumbled up the note and shook with suppressed rage. It was amazing to Leo how often Raphael seemed to be controlling his temper the past few days, and Leo had a hunch who he was suppressing it for.

Leo felt Mona Lisa shift away from him and he drew back, concerned that he had overstepped his boundaries. But that was not the case, he saw, when she kept her hand grasping his forearm. Raphael had also noticed her curious movement, and when he spoke her name it came out as a question.

"Mona?"

She bent over something on the island, her long tail flicking nervously behind her. When she looked back at the brothers, Leonardo could see plainly the intense worry etched into her features. A flashing red light caught his eye next, and when Mona spoke she motioned to the hardware that housed the flashing light.

"It's Kraang tech. I'd recognize it anywhere; they've been watching and waiting for me to come back. They've got to be on their way now."

This spurred Raphael from his daze. "Then what the shell are we waitin' for? Let's move!"

But Leonardo could see Mona wasn't considering flight. "What are you thinking, Mona?"

The look she gave Leo made him shudder involuntarily. He'd seen it before too many times on the face of the brother that stood next to him; a mask of defiant rage and confidence.

"We need to find out more about what they're doing, especially if they're doing tests on others like me, and we aren't going to have a chance if we run away now. Let them find me, and take me to wherever their lab is. I can wear a tracker so you can follow me. We can figure out where they are and what the inside looks like, so that we can take them down for good later."

Leonardo watched Raphael's face contort first it disgust, then anger, and finally rested into the same stubborn expression Mona's face bared. His red masked brother crossed his arms and set his jaw.

"No _way_ that's happening. Giving you up to the bad guys? Are you crazy? They could hurt you! They could…"

"Mutate me? Too late for that, Raphael. Already been done. They can't do much else to me."

Raphael's mask faltered a bit. Leonardo knew he hadn't meant to say that, but Mona hit him hard. Before Raph could counter, Mona spoke again, but softer this time.

"But they can hurt other people, Raphael. They can do this to other people, ones that won't be as lucky as I was. We've _got_ to shut them down."

Raphael, for once, seemed helpless. He looked to Leo.

"Chief? Any way to talk her out of it?"

Leo sighed. He didn't want Mona out of their protection either, but he had to admit she was right on all accounts. They needed this information, or the Kraang would mutate others.

"I don't want her to go either Raph, but she's got a point. This may be our only chance to get the info on the Kraang that we need. We'll have the Shellraiser, so we can follow her and get her out when the time is right." He directed his speech to Mona now. "We'll give you one of Donnie's tracking watches to wear, and you can cover it with your hoodie sleeve so they don't see it. If anything happens, just yell as loud as you can, and we'll come running. Either that, or we'll get you in a half hour after they take you. Deal?"

Mona nodded, clearly relieved that she had been able to reason with them. Raph looked ready to murder someone. Leo took this chance to step out.

"I'll take whatever else to the Raiser, and get the watch. We only have a couple minutes at most."

He picked out the green watch, hoping it would blend easily with Mona Lisa's new skin tone. As he made his was back onto the terrace, Leo had to stop short at the sliding glass door. The tension from the kitchen was palpable even from his spot, and he knew Raph and Mona had to be talking over the decision. He didn't mean to, but could still hear their conversation.

"Mona, for Pete's sake, you don't havta put yourself in danger like this. We can recon on our own. _I_- I mean _we_… just want you safe."

"I know, Raphael. You all are extremely capable, but this is a way I can help. I don't have years of ninjutsu training, or technology genius, or mastery of an ancient weapon. But I _can_ get into that Kraang lab, and I _can_ get information. And I trust you to be there for me as soon as I need to get out of there. You and all of your brothers; I trust you all to protect me."

"This isn't about you havin' to show your worth! You don't gotta prove anythin' to us Mona! I would rather you safe then tryin' to do somethin' crazy like this."

"Fine, Raphael, I won't do it to prove myself. I'll do it to help the people who are at risk of suffering the same pain I did. Is that okay?"

There was a silence that made Leo cringe.

Mona spoke again, her voice a whisper. If not for Leo's trained and attuned ears, he wouldn't have been able to hear her.

"I'm not going away forever. Didn't you hear me? I trust that you will find me safe, _Fusegu._"

Leonardo found it hard to compress his own laughter and glee. _Pet names? Oh man, Raph, you're really something. _

Sensing that this was probably his only good opportunity to intervene, Leo stepped into the kitchen. When he did, he saw his brother and Mona both awkwardly shift away from each other, trying desperately to seem nonchalant. _Uh oh. They aren't admitting that they like each other! No wonder Raph wanted me to ask her, and she's been hanging with Mikey all day… they're trying to ignore their feelings. _Leo knew he'd have to do something about that later. But right now, they had a mission to carry out.

Leo walked over and strapped the watch to her wrist, giving her hand a squeeze when he was finished, which she returned. The brothers made their way back to the Shellraiser, hid it in the back alley and waited for the Kraang. Raphael already had Mona's beacon up and was watching the signal intently.

"And there they are…" Leo whispered when he saw a black Kraang van pull up. The brothers watched in silence as three identical men scaled the building, and returned minutes later with a struggling Mona. Raphael tensed, ready to spring into action, but Leo calmed him.

"She's just doing that to show us she's not unconscious. If she was, we'd get her right away. They've gagged her, but nothing else. She's got thirty minutes till we get to her. Let's see where they take us."

Leo followed the black van with caution, trying to not seem too conspicuous. From Mona's apartment on East 63rd Street, they made the turn onto 2nd Avenue and drove for a little over a mile south before slowing down. By that time, Leo could tell where they were going. _But why…_

The Kraang pulled up next to the Chrysler building on East 42nd. _How are they going to get in _there_?_

"Leo! The storm drain!" Leonardo shifted so he was watching the same screen as Raph. Raph had all of their cameras on the van, and could see that they had pulled up over a large storm drain. A latch in the bottom of the van had opened, and the grate over the drain had been moved away so the Kraang and Mona could step down into it. They caught a glimpse of her, still on her own feet, before she was gone from view again.

"Raph, we still have her signal, right?"

Raphael checked his other monitor. "Yup. Clear as day."

"Their labs must be under the building. That's why Mona was able to get out through the sewers; they're underneath the Chrysler building on the same level underground."

"But why here? It's in the middle of everything, and security's gotta be tight."

Leo snapped his fingers. "That's exactly why they picked it, Raph. They've already got enough security that they don't need their own, and there are enough distractions that no one will be paying attention to them."

"Okay, okay, whatever. The Kraang are good strategists. Great. Let's just go bash some brain bots and get Mona back."

Leo grinned at his hot-head of a brother. "I'm with ya there, Raph."

As soon as the Kraang van drove off, the boys hid away the Shellraiser as best they could in a close alley and slipped through the grate themselves. For two mutants who grew up in the NYC sewers, navigating them was second nature. Within minutes they found an entrance to the lab, half by following Mona's beacon and half by listening for the right tunnels. There, they waited out the next 15 minutes.

Raphael was getting antsy, and kept pestering Leo to get closer, saying that they would never be able to find Mona when they were this far away. Finally giving in, Leo allowed Raph to go closer to the entrance. When he returned, Raph looked absolutely ecstatic.

"There're these huge vents running everywhere; they gotta keep it ventilated down here with all the chemicals I guess. I'm bettin' we can squeeze our shells into 'em and get somewhere pretty quick."

Leo gave his brother a quick fist bump, relaying his pride in Raph for finding something so valuable.

Raph led Leo back to the first vent, and Leo wasn't surprised to see four Kraang bodies sliced up on the floor. Raphael gave him a sheepish grin.

"Rather them take my temper than you, huh Chief?" Leo just shook his head and followed Raphael into the vent.

In minutes, their vent widened out even more, so now the brothers could walk at almost full height comfortably. And for Leo's 5'11" frame, and Raph's 5'10", that fact in itself was impressive. The end of the vent was nearing, they could tell, because a soft purple glow could be seen from up ahead. Leo motioned to Raph with his hand, telling him they would wait the rest of the time out here.

That's when they heard Mona scream.

* * *

Mona Lisa had waited as long as she could, asked as many questions as she could, and made a mental note of all the hallways and rooms the robot aliens had taken her too. It had been difficult to decipher exactly what the Kraang's plan was through their broken, 3rd person version of English, but Mona had gotten enough. She was about to call it quits and scream for the boys when another girl, one she recognized, was brought in and sat next to her.

The girl was barely conscious and had some minor bruises all over her legs. But Mona _knew_ her somehow. When the girl slumped to her side, Mona caught her and kept her upright with her own body. Even in the purple light, Mona could make out the blonde hair, the athletic build. _Gabrielle Connors?_

Gabrielle Connors, Mona's teammate and lab partner? She had been second only to Mona in their bio class; only because Gabrielle chose to focus on her sports first and academics second. Mona never doubted that Gabrielle was smarter than her, she just didn't have the drive or passion that Mona had for biology.

And now the Kraang had brought her in to test. Mona couldn't believe the coincidence; two girls from the same high school biology class both chosen as test subjects?

The Kraang stepped in between the girls and started hooking them both up with wires. _They're going to run more tests on us._

Rage filled Mona to the brim. She thought of Gabrielle; she was truly beautiful, a California girl, with her brown eyes and strawberry blonde hair. No way was she going to let a pretty girl like that be mutated like she had been.

So she screamed for Raphael and Leo.

It only took seconds for her to see multiple Kraang flying through the air at once from the far side of the room. The Kraang attending to Mona and Gabrielle moved to help against the onslaught of furious ninjas heading toward them, but were sliced to bits before they had the chance. Raphael's sai skewered the Kraang right in front of Mona, and she breathed a sigh of relief she didn't knew she had been holding in.

He made short work of her gag and the bands holding her wrists and feet. He ripped the wires from her arms and legs. As soon as she was free, Mona collapsed into Raphael's arms.

"_Fusegu…_"

Raphael's impossibly strong arms held her close to his plastron and he let out a shaky breath.

"Let's getcha outta here."

Leonardo was now alongside them, looking at Gabrielle with grief as he undid her bonds and removed the wires, being slightly more careful than Raphael had been. Mona knelt down next to him and together they helped her up. Gabrielle's eyes slid open at Leo's touch.

"…Michelangelo?"

Leo was so surprised, he almost dropped her again. But Mona understood right away.

"No, Gabby, this is Mike's brother, Leonardo. He's gonna help you, okay? And so am I."

Now Gabrielle's eyes widened quickly. "Mona? Mona Lisa? Is that really you?"

Mona smiled sadly at her friend. "Yeah, it's me Gab. We're gonna get you outta here."

Gabby smiled stupidly with exhaustion, closing her eyes again. "Mikey did talk about his brothers…"

Raphael and Leo were looking at Mona like she had just fallen off the end of the Earth. She kept her voice low so Gabrielle couldn't hear.

"Guys, she already knows Mikey. When I woke him up this morning, he was saying her name in his sleep. He must have met her before. She's beaten up pretty bad, and where else are we gonna take her?"

Leonardo sighed in frustration. The sounds of more Kraang approaching snapped them all out of their daze of uncertainty. Mona motioned to Gabrielle.

"Leo, can you take her?" He nodded grimly, and scooped her up. Raph grabbed Mona's hand and led them back to the vent they had come from. In minutes, they were back at the storm drain and rushing through the shadows towards the Shellraiser.

"Get her in the back; I'll take care of her injuries as you drive!"

The boys took their positions up front, Mona in the back with Gabrielle as she attended to some minor cuts and a slight ankle sprain. Then she grabbed for her tPhone, and made a call. She knew Leo and Raphael were listening in when she greeted the turtle on the other end.

"Mona! Are you guys alright? It's really late."

"Yeah, Mikey, we're fine. But you might wanna sit down for this next part."

"What? What's going on?"

"We're bringing a guest home that I think you've already met."

* * *

**At first I wasn't sure if I was gonna use Gabby, or just leave her be as kind of a one-night thing with Mike. But now I'm happy I did, cause this gets interesting ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, gang! Here it is, as promised, a chapter devoted to all things romance. **

**I got you some Mikey/Gabrielle, some Mona/Raph, some interesting Don/April.**

**Have fun! And I promise, next chapter, I'll get around to connecting all of the new developments and backstories more.**

**I don't own any TMNT stuff. Just Gab and Rita**

* * *

**Couples**

Mikey sat on the couch, absentmindedly playing with Rita's ears. She must have sensed the anticipation inside of Mike, because she kept close to him ever since he got off the phone with Mona.

When she told him Gabrielle, _the_ Gabrielle, was with them, he thought he was dreaming again. Only in a perfect world would she be coming to his home, with his family. But this world wasn't perfect, and that's why Gabrielle was hurt, why she had almost been mutated.

Mikey couldn't decide what worried him more; the fact that she was injured or that he would have to talk to her again. He had never felt this nervous in his life.

Donnie had already prepped his lab for their arrival; he assured Mikey and Mona that any injury Gabrielle had would be taken care of immediately.

Mike wondered if she would remember him. Since his dream last night, she had occupied his every thought.

His hand came to rest on Rita's back, and she looked up at him expectantly. Mikey decided, right then and there, that he would push his nerves away for now. This was the chance he wanted, wasn't it? He wasn't gonna waste it. _Play it cool, and win her over. It's that simple._

He made his decision in good time, because at that moment the sounds of his brothers' and Mona's footsteps echoed from the tunnel beyond. In mere seconds, they were visible over the turnstiles. Mikey was on his feet, matching them stride for stride as they rushed to the Lab. Leo held an unconscious Gabrielle. Mikey had to hold his breath; she was more beautiful than he had imagined in his dreams. He reached out a large, three-fingered hand and rested it upon her arm. At his touch, her eyes flew open.

_So, she's not unconscious?_

Mike barely saw her chocolate brown eyes before the darkness of the Lab stole them away from him. Donnie called to Mikey, telling him to flip the lights on. Without thinking, he did, his full attention still on the girl in his oldest brother's arms.

Mikey felt like he was stuck in time, watching his family interact without really paying attention. His eyes were trained on Gabrielle's, the light blue never leaving dark brown. Her gaze didn't waver as Leo set her down on the med table and Donnie attended to her ankle, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Mike. Vaguely, he saw Mona tug Raphael out of the room. He didn't even feel his Sensi's clawed hand grasp his shoulder, or see Leo leave with their Father. The only interaction he really acknowledged was Donnie's slight nod when finished with Gabrielle's ankle.

Then he was gone too.

And all Mikey could hear was the sound of Gabrielle's breathing, and his own heartbeat.

He was still leaning heavily on Donnie's desk, where he had gone to get out of the way of his family as they treated Gabrielle. He wanted to make his body move toward her, but he didn't seem to have control of his legs just yet.

"Mike-"

Gabrielle's voice finally called him into action. The distance between them vanished, so that he stood right in front of where she sat on the med table. Michelangelo cut her off with an impossibly soft kiss, one she was obviously not ready for. She sat on the edge of the med table, her legs dangling off at her knees. As he continued the kiss, Mikey stepped closer to her, so he stood against the med table, between her knees. As soon as it started, he ended the kiss, only pulling back an inch so he could watch the reaction in her eyes.

The kiss had the desired effect; her eyes were wide and burning bright with excitement. The chocolate brown seemed to be melting, and it was that fire in her eyes that almost made Mike's knees give out.

When she reached up a small hand and cupped his jaw, Mike thought he might die of happiness. Her eyes searched his face for protest. Mike held his breath, wanting her to take the next step.

Sure enough, Gabrielle brought her other hand up to the other side of his face and pulled him down towards her mouth gently, while tilting her own face up slightly. Her lips met his softly again, but Mike wanted more. He ended the soft kiss and created another one, his hands now resting on her arm and the back of her neck at her hairline.

He wanted this kiss to show her how he really felt. He had never been too great with words; he liked to find creative ways to convey his feelings. To Mikey, this kiss was nothing more than that.

He didn't expect it to become so much more.

When he pressed his lips to hers again, it only took her a second to return the fierceness. Her hands slid up his arms and shoulders, coming to rest around his neck.

Bright white lights exploded behind Mikey's eyes, a surging fire filled his chest and ran through his veins. Almost immediately, the fire turned ice cold as he ran his hands down her back, feeling the tension and contracting muscles there. He shivered with delight. Gabrielle tasted so sweet.

Kissing her was like combining his favorite candies and sugary cereals all in one and exploding the flavor into his mouth. Finally, he let up on the kiss, resting his forehead against Gabrielle's as he tried to slow his breathing.

She beamed back at him, her brown eyes dancing with delight and desire. Mike tucked a stray strand of strawberry blonde hair back into place, grinning stupidly himself.

Gabrielle leaned in so her mouth was right by Mike's ear.

"Did that just happen?" She whispered.

Mikey let out a shaky laugh. "I think it did."

Gabby didn't answer for a few beats. "Was it supposed to?"

"Sort of? Not really. Not right now, at least. But you guilted me into it; I could never leave an injured girl uncared for."

"Oh, so you give every wounded girl who comes in here the special treatment?" Mike smiled because he knew she was kidding.

"Nah, you got lucky. I was being pretty generous tonight."

"So why don't I feel lucky yet?" Gabrielle asked with a sly grin.

Mikey bored his baby blues into her chocolate irises. He swooped her up into his arms, careful of her recently injured ankle, and sat her on his lap as he claimed her spot on the med table.

The way Gabrielle curled up into his arms and rested her cheek on his plastron felt so good, so _right_ to Mikey that he just had to kiss her. One strong arm holding her close, the other tilted her face up towards his again. Gabrielle made a small sound in the back of her throat when their lips made contact. Mike started at the noise, unsure what it meant or why it caused the fire enveloping his insides to heat up again.

He was also unsure about the low growl that escaped him, but it felt right, so he went with it; he tightened his grip around Gabrielle, moving his hand from her back to her waist, loving the feel of her curves.

Gabrielle made a humming noise against his lips. He didn't want to admit it, but Mikey was losing it. He knew he couldn't take it too far; but Gabrielle was making it very difficult for the teenage turtle to keep his composure.

A whole new sensation swept over Mikey then. Something warm and wet ran down his face, something that felt suspiciously familiar. Gabrielle broke the kiss by capturing Mike's bottom lip between her teeth lightly. Shock, surprise, and building passion from her act caused Mike to open his eyes.

Hers were still closed, but tightly, as if in pain. She released his lip from her teeth's grasp. Tears ran down her face. Her tears broke the sensual spell surrounding the couple, and Mikey wiped them away carefully with one too-large digit.

_I took it too fast. She doesn't want this; who would? Am I so stupid to think that just because she talked to me that one night that she is attracted to me at all? How could I do this to her? She went through so much tonight!_

"Gabrielle… I… shouldn't have done that, I- I just… I understand if you're grossed out or hate me, I get it, I should have known better, you went through a lot tonight…"

Gabrielle's tears kept coming, but now they were accompanied by a small, shaky laugh. She finally managed to get her big brown eyes open, though the tears spilled from them. Her huge, emotional eyes cast a spell over Mikey. He was all in; entranced by her face and hanging on every word from her mouth.

"Mikey, I'm not grossed out. That was amazing. I'd be lying if I said I haven't been thinking about you, and _that_, since the night we met. I'm sorry for the tears," she paused to wipe some stray ones away, "I'm not the girl that breaks down at all and especially not in front of people…"

"Well, I'm not 'people'." Mikey pointed out with a small smirk.

This earned him another shaky laugh. "No, you most certainly are not. You're better." She placed a small kiss on Mikey's cheek.

Mike couldn't keep the wide grin off of his face as he touched the spot her lips had graced moments ago, feeling it get warm and color along with the rest of his face. Then he grew serious again.

Softly, he asked, "What happened tonight Gabrielle?"

She cast her eyes down and shook her head. "It wasn't just tonight, Mike. It started two days after that night we met. I was coming home from lacrosse practice and those identical-looking men jumped me. I woke up in some sort of cell, and they took some blood from me... They kept waking me up, then injecting me and knocking me out again. I lost track of the days, but I think it was early today that they brought me into the huge lab that your brothers rescued me from. I heard a familiar voice talking with the robot-guys. I called out to him…" Gabrielle paused to look up into Mike's eyes.

Mikey ran a three-fingered hand through her hair, loving the feel of it but hating the broken expression on her face. "Him? Did you know him?"

"Yeah, I did. It was my science teacher, Mr. Roberts. He…" Gabrielle choked up a bit before she composed herself enough to finish the sentence, "he didn't even help me. He said since the first girl was a failure, I would be the 'key'." I didn't know what he meant, I was so confused… Until I saw Mona, then it all made sense."

Mikey closed his eyes, trying not to picture the girl he now held in his arms going through such pain. Gabrielle laid her cheek against his plastron, sighing deeply.

"Is that what happened to you?"

"No… I've been this way since I could remember. I've never been human. I was just a regular ol' turtle before the mutation, so I don't know what it would have felt like… I'm glad you didn't have to find out either."

"Couldn't deal with another mutant girl?"

Mikey chuckled. "I could; but I like you the way you are."

Gabrielle gave a small hmm of agreement, then pushed her index fingertip into Mike's plastron. "And I like _you_ the way you are."

At that, Mikey just had to plant a kiss on the top of her head. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, each enjoying the other's company.

"Michelangelo?"

"Yeah?"

"Why me? Why would they pick me, out of all the other girls?"

Mike ran his hand through her hair again, an act he was slowly coming to enjoy.

"I think Mona's been asking herself the same question, Gabby."

* * *

As soon as she saw Gabrielle in good hands, Mona took Raphael by the wrist and dragged him out of the Lab. She ignored his grunts of protest and questions, not acknowledging him until she pulled the defensive turtle into his room, shut the door behind them, and pushed him up against the now-closed door.

Hands on his plastron, she considered Raphael closely. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, even stole a quick glance down at her hands, but remained in place where she had put him. Taking her chance, Mona spoke up.

"We need to talk. But first…"

She took Raphael's wrists in her hands and guided his big-guy hands down to her hips, never once breaking eye contact. She had enough time to see his eyes go wide before she pressed her body against his, hands on his plastron, and kissed him.

_Why would I ever want to push this away? _She thought as they kissed._ He makes me feel better than I ever have before. _But Mona had to try. She couldn't afford to put Raphael and his family through what would follow if they took this too far.

When she pulled away, Raphael was the first to speak.

"Right, we _really_ need to talk. What was that for?"

"That was for saving me."

Raph look at her expectantly. "And…? I don't think you're gonna be thankin' Leo in the same way, even though he saved you too."

Mona made a face. He was right. "And… because I wanted to."

Raphael shook his head. "Mona, why would you do that if you won't do it again?"

"How did you…"

"I can tell Mona. If you were gonna do that again, there wouldn't have been a 5 day gap in between, and you wouldn't have run off when I tried to ask you what was goin' on this mornin'. Why would you do this, and then make it a one-time thing?"

Mona could feel tears pricking in her eyes. Raphael's voice didn't hold any of its usual guarded toughness. It was still gruff, but she could tell he was laying it all out on the line here. He wasn't holding back.

"Raphael, I don't want to hurt you…"

"If you say this," he gestured between them, "is nothing, after what happened on Wednesday night and just now, then you're gunna hurt me."

"This isn't nothing, Raphael. But I can't do it, I can't risk it and have you get hurt."

"What? Mona, I said it'll hurt if we don't work out. How could I be hurt if you and I… if we…"

"Because of my father!"

Outrage etched itself onto Raphael's face "But… but you said your dad wasn't around, that he was in Europe!"

Mona's tone turned cold and her voice low. "He's in the Mob, Raphael."

"He's… what!?"

"My father is a Mobster. And a good one, too. In Sicily."

Raphael replaced the mask of outrage on his face with a softer, more concerned one.

"Mona… But… what does that have to do with me? With… us?"

"I'm engaged. When my father called me last week to tell me about his newest wife, he also told me he had picked out a man for me to marry, to carry on the family name. I've never met him before, but when my father returns to America, I have to marry him. In five months. On my birthday."

All of this came spilling out of Mona, the secrets she never meant to tell. But it felt right, telling her _Fusegu_. He was probably the only person she could have brought herself to tell.

She didn't regret telling him when strong arms wrapped her up in a tight embrace. Mona tucked her chin down and pressed the side of her now tear-stained face into Raphael's plastron. She felt his chin rest on the top of her head as his chest rose and fell slightly with an intake of breath. Then he began to shake. Pulling back slightly, she looked up at the turtle that, though shorter than his purple and blue masked brothers, towered over her.

"_Fusegu_?"

"I don't know what to say, Mona. I wanna fix all of this… I wanna make it all better, but I have no idea how I could… it just makes me so _angry _that I can't help you, just because how I look. I'm just causin' more trouble."

"No, Raphael, no. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me! And besides, do you really think I will be able to meet my father and my fiancé when I look like a salamander? None of it is going to be easy anyway; I just don't want to get you involved because my father will hunt you down if he knows about you. And I don't want to put you or your family in that kind of danger."

"Mona Lisa. I'm a highly trained ninja and I have three brothers who are also highly trained in the same way. And all we've learned has been taught to us by our father, a Master of ninjutsu. And you're tryin'ta protect _us_?"

Mona fidgeted slightly. "It does seem silly, I know…"

"It's not just silly, Mona. My family and I, we can help you. But you have to let us. You have to let me protect you."

"You are good at that, _Fusegu_." Mona tried to lighten the mood. Raphael tilted her head up so he could look at her with one finger under her chin.

"Will you let me do my job? And… let us..be.. well, us?"

"Raphael, I…"

Raph captured her in another kiss, slipping his hands back down to her hips. Mona could feel heat climb up her neck and to her face, and collect in the spots Raphael's hands now rested. Grabbing his arms, Mona backtracked until she felt the bed against the back of her knees. Never breaking the kiss, she sat down on edge. Raphael was the one to finally come up for air. When he did, Mona took her chance to scoot back farther onto the bed.

Raphael, visibly shocked by the sight of Mona on his bed, just stood there and looked at her. Seeing that he wouldn't come easily, Mona rolled onto her hands and knees. She willed her eyes to turn to slits, and let out a low, sultry growl from deep inside her chest. Mona crept closer to the edge of the bed where Raph still stood, hand over knee, and let her long tail flick occasionally behind her. Though she was relieved that Raphael wasn't scared of her reptilian eyes, she sort of wished he was just a bit more unnerved. She liked him when he wasn't so confident.

_No biggie, there are other ways to get to you._

At the edge of the bed, Mona paused and took in Raphael's still unmoving form. His body was breathtaking; Raphael could've been chiseled from stone with the impressive muscles he sported. He was tall, and held himself high with an air of confidence, cockiness, and undying loyalty.

Mona wanted him. Now.

Reaching out, she hooked one small finger into the leather belt around his waist and pulled back, causing him to move even if he didn't want to. Stumbling slightly with the first step, Raphael immediately righted himself and allowed Mona to pull him in, closer to the mattress. Soon he was on all fours, his now dark green eyes boring into hers with intense want written all over them.

The she-mutant interweaved her four fingers with his three, and teased him with a barely-there peck on the lips, pulling back as he moved forward, not wanting to break contact. She still held his hand as she laid back on the bed, letting her hair fan out behind her and exposing her lithe body to him.

Raphael took the bait, leaning over her prone form. He kept his knees on either side of her hips, and supported his body with one hand just under her arm. The other hand cupped her waist, with two longer digits wrapped around her back and a thumb on her stomach, right over the pocket of her zip-up hoodie.

He placed a kiss on her nose, jaw, neck… tracing her neck and collarbone with soft kisses. Mona couldn't help the whimper she let escape; it seemed to only encourage Raphael further, so she was fine with it. He ran his hand up her side, pulling her hoodie up a bit in the process. Reptilian eyes popped open when Mona felt Raphael stop and readjust her clothing. With her heightened eyesight, she could just make out the slight blush that had made its way onto Raphael's face. This wouldn't do.

"_Fusegu_, you don't have to do that."

Raphael just stared at her in confusion.

"Here, let me help you…"

Mona rested her much smaller hand on top of Raphael's and guided him toward the zipper of her hoodie. She helped him take hold of it, and slowly, together, they undid the pesky garment. When it was done, she rested his hand on her stomach, and returned her own to his taught arms.

Now, with renewed confidence, Raphael continued his line of kisses down Mona's front. He trailed his lips over her heartbeat and to her stomach, all while lightly thumbing her hip flexors.

"Oh, Raphael… _Fusegu_…"

Mona didn't expect to get so much pleasure out of Raphael's kisses and caresses. She also didn't expect him to know that her hips were so sensitive. But it was his next move that really excited Mona.

At the base of her stomach, Raphael paused with his lips still pressed to her body, and looked up into her eyes. From there, he let out the longest, deepest, most animalistic growl Mona had ever heard produced. She couldn't take it anymore.

Pushing against his arms, Mona caused Raphael to fall to his side on the bed as she twisted herself so they faced each other. Mona Lisa made sure their faces were mere inches apart. She weaved her legs in between his and pressed her hands against his tough plastron. The ridges there really intrigued her; she began to trace them with her fingertips.

Raphael traced her collar bone with one finger, leading up to her shoulder and down her arm, across the side of her stomach to the top of her hip. He rested his forehead against hers and continued tracing the length her hip, up and down, up and down. Their breath mingled and Mona pressed all four of her fingers into Raphael's plastron, wanting only to feel his heartbeat.

The mutant girl's long tail swished playfully at the hand that traced her hip.

"Heartbeat's a little fast there, tough-guy."

"Not without reason, sweetie." Raphael spoke gruffly before kissing her deeply. The hand near her hip now reached for her back, pressing her in as close as she could get to his body. Mona pressed her chest and hips further into Raphael's body and her hands snaked up around his neck. Their kisses became short, more passionate, until Raphael broke off minutes later.

Mona was disappointed when he did. But his low, gruff voice sent more tingles into her already heated body.

"Woman, you seriously overestimate my self-control."

"Maybe I want you to just… let go."

"You dunno what you're askin' for."

"You're right; but I'd love to find out."

Raphael's body shook now, probably with tension. Mona could tell she was putting him in an extremely uncomfortable spot. He wasn't ready.

_I should have known. Splinter's brought them up to be so chivalrous. _

Mona shifted so her back lay against Raphael's plastron, but still pressed up against him for warmth and not wanting to break contact.

Raphael's deep voice spoke right next to her ear.

"I don't want to make any mistakes Mona, but… I want it, too."

Mona sighed happily. She was glad he hadn't gone through with it; Mona was too used to guys only wanting her for that reason. Raphael didn't just want a physical relationship; he really loved her for her.

_Did I just say 'love'?_

She pulled his arm around her waist and his hand to her lips, pressing a soft kiss there.

"I know, _Fusegu_."

Now it was Raphael's turn to sigh in contentment. He planted a kiss on her head from behind and snuggled in closer.

That was how they fell into a peaceful sleep; together and safe in each other's arms.

* * *

Donatello left his Lab, simultaneously pulling out his tPhone as he made for the sewer tunnels and typing in the familiar number. After the events of tonight, he needed to call her and check in. Just to hear her voice was enough for Donnie; it was always enough.

She picked up on the fourth ring.

"Er… hello?"

Donnie had to brace himself on one of the sewer walls when the voice on the other line wasn't the sweet angel's voice he was used to, but a low, masculine, Brooklyn accented voice.

"Where. Is she." Donnie spoke through clenched teeth, his free hand rolled up into a fist.

The voice wasn't as clear on the other end. "Red! You got a caller. Sounds miffed."

"Thanks, Case. I gotta take this; could you go in and keep an eye on the lasagna?" April's beautiful voice finally came over the line, allowing Donnie to sigh with relief.

Donnie heard some incoherent male muttering from the other line before April fully took over.

"Don?"

"April, who was _that_?!"

"Donnie, shhh! It's okay. Just a friend from college. He came over for dinner."

"Like… a date?" As soon as he said it, Donatello immediately regretted his question.

April huffed in annoyance. "Sure, Donnie. It's a date. Can't you try to not sound so surprised?"

"I'm not surprised Ape, it was just a bit of a scare to have a man pick up your phone after the night we've had." _And, because I thought we were getting along well enough that you didn't need to bring over any 'college guys' for date night._

April's tone of voice changed immediately. "Oh, Don, what happened?"

Donatello gave her a brief but full synopsis of the night's events. He also warned her to be careful when she was outside, because they didn't know exactly who was going to be targeted next by the Kraang, but his hunch was that they were looking for girls.

"I will Don. Actually, I'm not planning on going anywhere tonight, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"Do you really like him, April?" Donnie couldn't help but ask her. His heart hurt just thinking of April with another guy.

There was a small pause on the other line. Then she spoke; that angelic voice that Donatello treasured over everything, over his own life. They spoke the words that crushed his heart and turned his world upside down.

"I do, Donnie, and I think if he asks me… I'm gonna date him. He's different, ya know?"

No, Donatello didn't know, but he would be happy for her if she was happy with him. April was _everything_, and he wanted her to be happy. No matter if her happiness came from some college guy Donnie had never met. He choked out a response.

"Yeah, April, I understand. I'm really happy for you. I should let you go, though…"

"Right." April sounded hurried. "I'll call you tomorrow, and maybe drop in since I have off work and only one class. Okay?"

"That's great. I'll let you know if we know anything else."

"Thanks, Donnie. G'night."

"Goodnight, April." Donatello whispered his farewell, because he knew she had already disconnected. With the end of the call, Donnie fell against the wall, his resolve broken.

He allowed the hole in his chest to grow, enveloping him in despair and heartbreak. She was with someone else. The past months, they had all been a lie; they had been for nothing.

Donatello cradled his head in his hands, trying to block out the last seven months from his memory.

They'd shared so many late-night conversations; so many cuddly movie nights that Donatello lost count of them. He held her close and wiped her tears away when she had to move away from her father and the turtles to go to school up town, she pressed so many loving kisses to his cheek for just being Donnie. Her best friend. Her rock. He loved her so much it hurt, and now that everything he had worked for was gone in one fatal swoop, Donatello broke down.

A high-pitched, animalistic noise forced its way from Donnie's raw throat, a sound of longing and anguish. The hot tears came fast, getting caught up in the soft fabric Donnie wore around his head.

His whole body shook with the pain. It was a pain he had never felt from any physical wound before; this pain struck his very being and pulled his heart right out of his chest. It left him breathless, just as she had so many times before.

Donatello roared his protest to the sewer tunnel before succumbing fully to the agony that enveloped him.

* * *

**Poor Donnie, April has been his everything since they first met, when he was only 15. He's crushed on her for years, and they only grew closer, for Casey the mysterious college guy to come around and take her away. Ah, love.**

**But, do not fret, fair readers! I have plans for heartbroken Donatello. Big plans :)**

**Everyone enjoy Gabriangelo and Raphona? I must say, I do!**

**Read and review, please! **


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm just posting this cause I feel bad for not posting in a while, and though I would rather add in the explaining stuff just to get this story movin', I was feelin some fluff and then it got out of hand and really long and Instant Karma happened... so yeah. But I hope you guys enjoy.**

**I don't own TMNT or any of the bands I refer to in here. I don't own the Beatles, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, or John Lennon, (though I do own a copy of all the albums I refer to, yes I am a Beatles superfan, a Fab Four fanatic, and I gave Mona my taste in music. You're welcome, sweetie.)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Instant Karma! (and other fate-related events)**

Raphael groaned his way back into consciousness. His muscles felt used and stiff, but he wasn't uncomfortable. He knew, without having to open his eyes, that he wasn't laying on the lumpy couch of the Pit this morning. No, this morning he was back in his own bed. And _man_ did it feel good.

So good, in fact, that he thought he would treat himself to a couple more hours' rest. 'Cause hey, he deserved to relax now and again, right?

_Right. _Well, that was all the convincing he needed.

Raph made to turn onto his side, wondering why in God's name he was laying on his plastron. He wasn't much of a sprawl-all-over-the-place kinda guy. That was Mike's thing. But as he shifted, something weighed down his left bicep.

_If that dang mutt crawled in bed with me, it's spendin' a week sleepin' in the sewer tunnels. Alone._

But it wasn't Rita's furry face that Raph saw when he slid tired eyes open.

Mona Lisa's pretty features were using his bicep as a pillow of some sorts, with one delicate hand wrapped under and around it. Her other hand was curled in slightly and tucked up against the inside of her arm and chest. Her long chestnut tresses fanned out behind her, though a couple disorderly strands made their way around her neck and down the flat, light green part of her chest, coming to rest against the bed.

Raphael's eyes grew wide and the rest of his body kick-started awake, finally able to feel her legs resting against his one, all of her glorious curves pressed up against his left side.

He also couldn't help but notice her signature pink hoodie was MIA.

Exposing her light yellow "underbelly".

Raph could have sworn he heard a hallelujah chorus start up.

Lifting his arm ever so slightly, Raph slowly slid his arm out from under Mona's head so he could turn onto his side, facing the reptilian girl next to him. At his movements, she only shifted slightly and made a small noise in her sleep. Her long tail readjusted, curling itself between Mona's calves and around Raph's knee. Raphael couldn't believe how close their bodies were. But the small thrill that traveled up his spine wasn't a nervous one; it was a good feeling. Being close to Mona like this felt _right_.

Raphael rested his cheek on the pillow only inches away from Mona's face. He let out a deep breath and adjusted his eyes to the slight darkness so he could take in the beauty of the girl in his bed properly.

Raph found his fingertips following his eyes. Starting at her hairline, Raphael considered Mona's smooth complexion. The mutation had taken away all hair on her body, excepting the hair on her head, eyebrows, and eye lashes. Her skin was smooth, he realized as he ran the back of one finger over her cheek, even smoother than his own or April's. Though it did have a sort of… _slippery _feel to it, for lack of a better word. In sleep, Mona Lisa's features took on a more childish look. Without the shadows around and in her eyes, the fierceness she held there fell away, giving into soft innocence.

Under closed eyelids were those beautiful green and brown eyes that entranced Raphael so much. That was the only part he didn't so much like about Mona being asleep; he longed to gaze into her eyes and pick out the fiery gold flecks within them. He closed his own eyes, trying to picture hers. They swam before his mind's eye, bright and full of excitement and happiness. But then the image changed, and so did her eyes, her pupils becoming slits and her eyelids falling ever so slightly. Now, they looked at him with smoldering passion and sly confidence. Raphael's insides fired up, the heat coursing through his veins.

Opening his eyes and taking Mona Lisa's full figure only intensified the wildfire consuming his insides. He let his eyes wander down her slender neck, to her chest, where green turned to yellow and the curves of her breasts stood out in comparison with her tiny, toned abdomen. The yellow curved inward at the base of the abdomen, but her green hips curved out. Raphael set his hand on her waist and caressed his way downward, wanting to feel her feminine structure rather than just see it. Mona hummed in her sleep, but her breaths stayed deep and even.

Raphael allowed himself a quiet snort of laughter. _Heavy sleeper, this one._

The warmth in his body came from his hand, where it still rested on Mona's hip. Since she was laying on her side, the hip his hand lay upon was high up in the air compared to her waist. Her hip bone jutted out a bit because of the angle she lay in, and Raph dragged his thumb over it repeatedly, getting far too much pleasure from the feeling of it. Lower, her long legs stretched out and one bent at the knee. The muscles in them were easy to see; Raphael liked that.

He was content to just watch her for the next minutes; he didn't want to break the spell of the moment. But that pesky little fire of desire was persistent, and Raphael thought he had allowed her enough rest.

He started his hand up and down her waist and hip again, sometimes skirting farther up and around the top of one of her breasts, trailing his finger down between them and up again to the side of her waist. Raphael kept at the monotonous tracing of her body until he got a small reaction from Mona.

"Mmmmm… Raph…"

Said turtle began to chuckle softly, but stopped in shock when he realized she had used his nickname. The finger-tracing stopped to, allowing Mona to settle back into her slumber.

_Oh no you don't, not after that. Now it's definitely time to get up._

Raphael positioned the palm of his hand on the side of Mona's hip, two fingers reaching back around her, almost touching the base of her tail, and his thumb resting on the inside, on the small muscle tucked away there. He ran his thumb over it, sometimes with force, sometimes lightly, sometimes pressing down upon it all together.

He grinned with evil delight when her face contorted in confusion and pleasure. Her lips parted, emitting a breathy moan; although her eyes remained shut, he knew Mona was now awake by the way she furrowed her eyebrows together. Embarrassed by her sensual outburst, Mona bit her bottom lip.

The lip that Raph had noticed was full and plump, in comparison with her upper one. He watched her biting it, and an overwhelming desire to do the same clouded his mind.

"No hun, lemme get that for you."

Mona started, probably at the sound of Raph's low, husky, sleepy voice. He leaned in and caught the bottom lip between his teeth, opening his eyes to see hers flash before them. She opened her mouth in shock, causing Raphael to release his hold on her mouth. He tightened his hold on her hip, loving the reaction Mona's body gave at his touch.

Mona, now fully awake, rolled her shoulders forward a bit so she could reach her head under and up to Raphael's jaw line. He could feel her warm breath on his face. That, and the warmth of her curves under his hand was enough to send Raphael over the edge. He wanted her. Bad. Raph closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of lavender and her shampoo that he had come to associate with her.

Mona, as if sensing this, did the one thing that broke him entirely.

She whispered, "What a wonderful way to wake up." at his jaw, then lightly clamped her teeth down on to it.

Fireworks exploded across Raphael's mind. There was no stream of conscious thought, just her and getting her closer to him.

The hand on Mona's hip reached around and spread across her lower back, right above where her tail connected to the rest of her body. Raphael push/pulled Mona closer to him while slipping his other hand underneath her head, so it rested in his palm. He vaguely felt her hands on his plastron, but couldn't focus on it, for he was way too caught up with fitting his lips over hers. He continued to deepen the kiss as his hand worked its way down past her tail, to the underside of her leg, lifting it up and around his own hip.

Mona complied, wrapping her one leg around him and pulling her hips closer to his pelvis. Their kisses became shorter and more feverish, tongues and teeth mashing and melding together. She broke off, dipping lower, resting her forehead and lips against his neck; she kissed his Adam's apple and nibbled her way around the base of his throat. Heat surrounded Raphael, it was too much, _she_ was too much. And it wasn't nearly enough.

Holding her hips on either side, Raphael swung them both together; now he was laying on his shell, Mona sitting straddled atop him. At first, she was a bit startled, but he had kept her steady, and now she was leaning down with her hands on his plastron. She caught his eyes; this time he wasn't surprised to see the slits and yellow/gold glow in them. Slowly, her hands took small steps up his plastron, her upper body angling downward towards his with every step. In some part of his mind, he was amazed by her flexibility, but that part was soon drowned out when her breasts made contact with his plastron.

She was everywhere at once, all Raphael could feel or see or hear or smell was _Mona_. The soft kisses on his plastron and neck, her hands caressing his face and arm, her heaving chest pressing against his. But what he was most hyper-aware of was the heat radiating from where Mona's womanhood must be. She was positioned right on top of his own…erm… lower extremities, and the two were trading body heat like mad. It was all he could do to keep himself from bucking his hips toward hers, so badly did he want to close the distance between their most intimate parts.

But he didn't know if she wanted that. So instead, he reached up and caught her face between his hands, and kissed her softly. Soft enough to signal to her that they should slow down before things became too difficult to come back from.

Sighing into the kiss, Mona slid off of Raphael and to his side, keeping one arm wrapped securely around his middle and her front pressed into his side. He, in turn, kept an arm around her shoulders, lightly caressing her back as he tried to even out his breathing. Raphael stared at the ceiling, content to listen to Mona's own struggle to return her breaths to normal.

As soon as they were both under control, Raphael leaned over and planted a kiss on Mona's forehead. Speaking against her skin, Raph's voice came out a bit mumbled.

"Wanna wake up like this every mornin'?"

"Only if it's next to you, _Fusegu_."

Raph grinned against Mona's forehead, and pressed another kiss on her, this time on her lips.

The growl of Mona's stomach interrupted their tender moment. Both mutants laughed loudly at the sound, and Raphael rolled out of the bed, stretching as he did so. His shell was to Mona as he stretched, and he felt something wrap around his leg. Grinning, Raph turned back to see Mona watching him with a grin of her own, her long tail reaching out toward him.

She let go and he turned fully, offering his hands to help her up. She took them and allowed him to pull her to her feet, but Raph pulled further so she fell forward into his plastron and arms.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Raph rested his hands on Mona's lower back and his chin on the top of her head. She buried her face into the soft skin above his plastron. Raphael dropped a quick kiss to the top of Mona's head, smoothing her wild waves out as he did so.

This time, it was his own stomach that growled, causing the pair to laugh again. Mona looked up at him with her big, beautiful eyes, and poked the source of the sound.

"Let's go see if we can't fix that."

* * *

Mona Lisa and Raphael walked into the kitchen together, now fully dressed. Mona pulled at the hem of her old oversized Ocean City, NJ t-shirt, wishing she had shorts with a tail-hole so she could tuck the shirt in somewhere and not have it look like a dress. But, at least she had her socks back, which she had sorely missed.

The couple walked, hand-in-hand, around the table, wondering where in the heck their family was. Mona was so confused, she asked Raph.

"Are we the first ones up?"

"Nah, can't be. Chief is _always_ the first up. And Master Splinter ain't very far behind, though he usually keeps to his room 'til he hears everyone else wakin' up. An' Mikey's usually startin' breakfast…"

They had made their way into the kitchen, and sure enough, their breakfast was there, waiting for them.

* * *

Michelangelo heard footsteps and soft voices coming from the kitchen, but chose to ignore them. Whoever it was, they'd find the fresh batch of French toast he had left on the top of the stove soon enough.

He needed to focus on setting up Mona's stereo system in the Pit, anyway. He'd only been at it for about 10 minutes, but he figured he had the thing pretty well hooked up. Now all he was worrying about was picking out the right song to test it out with. He browsed through Mona's expansive collection of records and CD's, seeing as the system she had could take both.

He hoped the people in the kitchen were Mona and Raph, since they were the only ones not up. Well, them and Gabrielle. But she was sleeping in Donnie's lab, and that place was sound proof, so the music wouldn't wake her up anyway.

Mike's mind wandered around the idea of Mona and Raph obviously sleeping in the same room last night, and Gabrielle. He had left his girl to sleep and crept back into his own room last night, but he knew Raphael hadn't done the same. He was extremely happy for them both, and relieved that they seemed to finally be accepting their mutual attraction, but he didn't know how to feel about the thought of them sleeping together. If that's just what it had been, or something more.

He dismissed the thought and turned his attention back to the music in front of him. Mona's taste was good, though a bit old for his liking. She was a total 60's/70's girl; all classic rock and pop stuff. The Doors, the Who, Billy Joel, CCR, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, The Allman Brothers, Traveling Wilburys, Eagles, Boston, Cream, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jackson 5, B.B. King, Derek & the Dominos, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Prince, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Santana, and many other greats stood out at Mikey.

But what was the most impressive was Mona's expansive collection of Beatles music. She had what seemed to be every album, plus the Anthologies, plus every album from John's, Paul's, George's and Ringo's solo careers.

There was no way he was gonna be able to pick just one song from the Beatle's vast and amazing set. So he focused, rather, on the solo career CD's. At first, he wanted to go with some Paul McCartney and Wings stuff, but Paul's love songs were too much for the morning. Mike needed some upbeat, cutting stuff to get his blood boiling.

Who better than John Lennon to do that?

He couldn't go for 'Cold Turkey', it wasn't exactly right. Then, there, he found it. _John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band_'s 'Instant Karma!'

Mikey almost shook with excitement. He hadn't heard _this_ song in years!

He was just popping the disc into the player when Mona and Raph, carrying plates full of French toast, walked in. He grinned at the sight of the two mutants teasing and laughing together.

"Ah, the couple awakens, finally, from their slumber."

Raphael threw Mike a dark look, but Mona just laughed at Mikey's tease.

"You better watch yourself, mister. I'm not responsible for the actions of this one." She motioned toward Raph with her fork. "But, Mike, ohmygosh. This French toast is _killer_."

Mike couldn't stop smiling. "Thanks Leese! I knew everyone would be starvin' this morning!"

Both Mona and Raph took a seat on the couch, nodding their heads with mouths full of breakfast. Mona took a break when she saw what Mikey was busy with.

"You got my stereo system hooked up, Mike?!"

Mikey threw an excited look toward her. "Bet your shell I did! D'you mind if I play something?"

Mona almost jumped up with excitement. "Mind? Mikey, turn it on and turn it _up_!"

"That's what I like to hear! And by the looks of your music collection, I think you're gonna like what I picked."

Raph watched their exchange with a bemused expression on his face. Mikey caught his eye and shot him a wink. He knew 'Instant Karma!' was one of Raph's favorites, one of the only songs he would play on Donnie's keyboard.

So when the opening piano notes of the song played out across the room, Mike saw Raphael almost drop his plate in surprise. Mona squealed like a little girl, putting her plate down and jumping up and down with happiness. Mike watched as Raph's face shifted from surprise to complete, giddy joy as he allowed Mona to pull him to his feet.

The two faced each other, Mona's feet tapping in exact time with the opening drums. John's voice exploded around them and Mona sang the words with him at Raphael.

"_Instant Karma's gonna get you,  
gonna knock you right on the head"_

Mona feigned a blow to the back of Raph's head as she sang, and his grin only grew bigger.

"_You better get yourself together _(Mona shook a finger at Raph)  
_pretty soon, you're gonna be dead"_

Mikey toned down Lennon's voice; he could see Raphael was about to explode with the song, and this next part was perfect for his voice. Sure enough, and to Mona's surprise, Raph sang the next part perfectly.

_"What in the world you thinking of?  
laughing in the face of love,  
what on Earth are you tryin' to do? _(Raph scrunched his eye ridges together, pretending he was confused)  
_It's up to you, _(Mona pointed at herself like she was asking a question)  
(Raphael just laughed and nodded his head as he sang)_ yeah you!"_

Mona was dancing for real now, her feet tapping out the same rhythms as the drums and her hips swingin' all over the place, just like how the girls in the 60's did it. Mona sang again as the second verse started.

_"Instant Karma's gonna get you _(Mona pushed her finger into Raph's plastron)  
_gonna look you right in the face"_ (Mona pushed her face dangerously close to Raph's)  
Raphael took over for the next line, deepening his voice.  
_"You better get yourself together, darling" _(He pressed in closer to Mona, running his hands down her sides)  
Raph stepped back and bent a finger at her in the universal "come here" sign,  
_"Join the human race!"_

Mona sang again,  
_"How in the world you gonna see?  
laughing at fools like me"_

Then Raph claimed the last lines of the verse.  
_"Who on earth d'you think you are?  
A superstar? _(Mona nodded at him, swinging her hips suggestively)  
(Raph smiled back at her) _Well right you are!"_

Mike couldn't take it anymore. He _had_ to get up there and join them. He ran right between the couple, singing the chorus at top-volume, to which Mona and his brother joined in.

_"Well, we all shine on  
like the moon, and the stars, and the sun  
well we all shine on,  
everyone, come on"_

Mikey and Raph took the next couple lines, Mikey holding Mona's fork like a microphone and Raph standing on a step of the Pit, pretending he was Lennon. Both brothers sang together.

_"Instant Karma's gonna get you  
gonna knock you off your feet _(Mona fell to the couch)  
_Better recognize your brothers  
every one you meet"_

Mikey sang solo, to Raph,  
_"Why in the world are we here?"  
_Raph answered with;  
_"Surely not to live in pain and fear"  
_Both brothers directed their singing to Mona.  
_"Why on earth are you there?  
when you're everywhere"  
_Mona stood up and sang the last line at Raph.  
_"Come and get your share"_

The trio all picked up the chorus together.

_"But we all shine on  
like the moon, and the stars, and the sun  
and we all shine on  
come on and on and on on on"_

The boys took the slight break in the song to watch Mona's dancing. Her shoulders, hips, and feet did most of the moving, and she was always complementing the drums. Mikey saw Donnie leaning on the turnstiles, Splinter and Leo watching from the dojo door, and Gabrielle sitting at the kitchen table, smiling out at him. What was she doing over there?! She needed to be _here_, with him!

Mike ran to her, scooping her up into his arms and running back to the Pit just as the final chorus started up.

Mona, Raphael, Mikey, and Gabrielle all sang along with John.

"_But we all shine on  
like the moon, and the stars, and the sun  
yeah we all shine on  
on and on and on on and on  
well we all shine on  
like the moon, and the stars, and the sun  
but we all, shine, on…"_

Gabrielle smiled up at him from his arms, and Mikey thought his face might split open with his own happy grin. So caught up in Gabrielle, Mike didn't notice Leo and Donnie joining Raph and Mona Lisa to sit around her music collection, avidly discussing the effect the Beatles had on music and pop culture. Seeing his family so happy and at ease made Mike happy, and he turned his attention back to the girl in his arms. Nuzzling in close to her face, Mike broke the silence between them.

"Did'ya sleep well?"

"Wasn't bad. The wakeup call was the best part though."

Mike laughed aloud at that. "I'm sorry, the Lab is usually pretty sound proof. But I'm glad you didn't mind."

"Didn't mind? Mike, that was the most fun I've had in years!"

"Then we'll have to do it more often."

"By the looks of Mona's collection, I don't think that'll be a problem."

The pair couldn't stop smiling at each other. But Mikey was worried when Gabrielle's face fell slightly, and she looked away.

"Gab? Somethin' wrong?"

Gabby looked back up into Mike's eyes. "Huh? Oh, uh, no. I'm fine. This is just… different for me."

"We are a bit different than the norm."

Gabby laughed a bit. "Oh no, not your family. Just this situation… being around everyone… I more or less keep to myself, so this is… a bit overwhelming."

Mikey just looked at her, wondering how in the world such a personable girl could be uncomfortable around people. Gabrielle had to snap him out of his trance with a raised eyebrow and confused tone in her voice.

"Uh, Mike? Not that I don't appreciate being held, but I _can_ hobble around. This ankle isn't too bad."

"What? Oh! Er… sorry." He hadn't even realized he still held her in his arms. With a sheepish half-smile, he set Gabby on her feet. Gabrielle immediately held her stomach, and Mike remembered that she'd just woken up, and must be hungry.

"D'you think you could stomach some French toast?"

That brought Gabby's smile back. "Definitely."

Mike took her hand and led her up the steps of the Pit toward the kitchen, where Master Splinter had now sat himself with his own breakfast and tea. Splinter smiled warmly when he saw the pair enter.

"Good morning, Michelangelo. And good morning, Miss Gabrielle. I am pleased to see you up and about so quickly after last night. How are you feeling?"

Gabby was eyeing his plate. "Hungry. Sore and hungry."

Mike and Splinter laughed at her honesty, and she blushed, not knowing what was so funny. Mike made his way deeper into the kitchen to get Gab her breakfast. Donatello entered then, putting a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder.

"As you should be. Whatever they were feeding you there; it wasn't nearly enough nourishment."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Don't havta tell me twice. But, Donnie?"

Don looked down at her. "Yeah?"

She wrapped her arms around his middle, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you for taking care of my ankle."

Donatello stood stock-still for a moment, taken back by Gabrielle's act. But he quickly recovered and put his arms around her shoulders. "Not a problem."

"Yeah, you were easy compared t' Mona."

Raphael, Mona and Leonardo had followed Donnie into the kitchen, and had made it in time to overhear Gabrielle and Donatello's exchange. It was Raphael who had spoken up, and received a dark look from Mona and gotten a laugh out of Leo.

"Don't you laugh, Leonardo. You're just encouraging him!"

Both brothers, including Gabrielle and Donatello, laughed now. Mona just wasn't too threatening with a small smile playing on her lips. Even Splinter had to chuckle at the scene. Finally, Mike returned, three plates full of French toast in his hands. He passed them off to Gabrielle, Don, and Leo in turn, and then pulled a seat out for Gab at the table.

A comfortable silence settled over the room, broken a few moments later by Splinter.

"I hope it is not too early to ask you girls if you could share what you have learnt about the Kraang. Miss Mona Lisa, I understand it was your full intention to allow the Kraang to take you from your apartment, in hopes that you would uncover their motives. Miss Gabrielle, we did not expect your presence, but any information you may have about your time there would surely help us put an end to whatever plans the Kraang may have."

The two females shared a look and nodded to each other. Mona started to speak…

"Of course, _Sensi. _We-"

…but was quickly interrupted by Donnie. "Uh, guys? Sorry, Mona, Sensi, but would you mind waiting just another hour? I agree, we gotta talk about this, but I told April last night about what had happened and promised that we'd keep her updated, and it'd be easier to discuss everything all at once than having to explain everything all over again to her later. Is that okay?"

His last question was directed at Splinter, who pulled at his thin beard in thought.

"Donatello, you are right. We shall wait for April; she is a part of this family and deserves to know what is going on. In the meantime, Leonardo and Raphael, maybe you could help Mona Lisa with her things?" The boys nodded, bowed to their Father, and followed Mona to the pile of her belongings stacked by the turnstiles.

"And Donatello, finish your preparations of the spare room, please. Gabrielle, my dear, I would imagine you would want to wash up. Michelangelo, see to it that she receives fresh clothing and then you may help Donatello." Mikey and Don nodded and bowed as well, and Mike squeezed Gabrielle's arm comfortingly.

"I'm sure Mona wouldn't mind lending you some of the clothes she brought back last night, Gab."

Gabrielle set her fork down, now finished with her meal. "Now that I think about it, a shower sounds great. And yeah, getting out of my practice clothes would be nice."

Mike nodded, realizing for the first time that she must still be wearing the same clothing from a couple days ago, when the Kraang had taken her. _And yet, she still looks great._ He pushed the thoughts away. This was not the time to get distracted.

"I'll be right in there, lemme show her to the bathroom." Mike half-whispered to his purple-masked brother, just low enough for Gabrielle to not hear.

Donatello watched his younger brother lead their newest guest away and down the hallway, trying to ignore the ache in his gut as he watched their comfortable closeness and easy flirting. Mike had obviously found someone special to him, and Don couldn't be more happy for him; Mikey deserved it more than any of the brothers. But the unanswered questions pursued Donnie even when he looked away from Mikey and Gabrielle. He had always thought April was his _one_; the feelings he had for her pointed to complete infatuation, to love.

Don pressed one hand to his temple and the other to his heart, wondering what he could have done wrong.

* * *

Mike turned the corner out the Lab, rushing past the dojo door and rounding another turn into the hallway. He held fresh clothes in one clenched fist, and was in a hurry because; a) he heard the shower turn off minutes ago, and Gabrielle probably needed something to change into, and b) Don needed his help back in spare room asap.

Rushing is easy when you're a highly trained ninja. In seconds, Mike closed in on the bathroom door. He barely took a moments' rest to collect himself before calling out to Gabrielle and knocking, twice, on the door.

Accidentally pushing open a door when you're knocking is also easy when you're a highly trained ninja, who frequently forgets his own strength. And when the bathroom door flew open under Michelangelo's closed fist, he almost forgot his own name.

Hot air and steam hit him full in the face, along with the sweet smell of shampoo. Then the fog cleared, revealing a very surprised Gabrielle holding her towel to her body in a death grip. Mike's highly analytical mind took in the details of the scene in front of him. Gabrielle's legs, upper chest, arms, and face flushed pink from the hot shower; her tanned skin contrasting beautifully with the white towel she held around her; her toned legs in full view, all the way up to mid-thigh; her blonde hair slicked back from her face and looking considerably darker from the water; her brown eyes wide and questioning, looking so alive from the warm water; the stray drops of water still clinging to and running down her skin, teasing Mike as they ran down her chest, face, and legs.

He had to remind himself how to breathe. But he didn't seem to know how to walk, talk, or do any other intelligent thing like apologize. He just stood, transfixed by beauty in the door frame.

Gabrielle came to her senses first and let out a girlish giggle, one Mike had never heard from her before.

"Well, at least you knocked?"

_She_ was cracking jokes at _him_? Oh man. Mikey wanted to kiss her silly. She was _so_ kissable right now.

Instead, he carefully placed the now-wrinkled clothes on the sink top, turned, and raced back out into the hallway in a daze.

* * *

**Real sorry about the ending, I just wanted to get that in there and honestly I'm not sure what other reaction could have been right there, hehe. **

**I'm gonna get to the explaining, finally, next chapter! Sorry, I was craving fluff, music, and Lennon instead of explaining/connecting plot lines. **

**Please review! I think I'm going somewhere more in-depth than I expected to at first with this, and I like it. I really hope you guys do too!**


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